Springshower
by Pen Sil
Summary: She'd thought about it more often than not; what he really felt. It was something she had to deduce on her own with the little he dared show her. What she'd seen the first few times had surprised and frightened her a little, but the intensity of them had enchanted her and she'd allowed her own emotions to blossom under his. Like spring flowers under the rain.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

Yamamoto let Shigure Kintoki fall to his side and followed the movements of the dummies' upper parts as they fell to the floor, perfectly cut. With a sigh he allowed his trusted katana to return to its shinai-form. Sometimes he considered annoying Gokudera or Sasagawa just to have some proper training. This one-man thing was fine for keeping up on his basics, but if he wanted the adrenalin pumping, he needed some real action. That hadn't really been there since the Shimon problem, which had been resolved finely in the end. He had his jobs for Tsuna, true, but that didn't mean he was ever on full power anymore.

He studied the many dummies for a moment and decided he'd have to use some time mending them that Saturday – after having cleaned the dojo. They couldn't keep just buying new ones and he couldn't ask Tsuna – well, Tsuna _had _offered to sponsor his supplies and in time he'd only be using Vongola gyms, but... That one thing he would not be able to explain to his father.

He started pushing the dummies into the storage room where all supplies were kept for training, at least for the trainees using the dojo on afternoons. His own kendo gear hung in his closet in the main house. He'd take a shower and then, maybe, do some homework. Though, he'd probably take a look at the plans Reborn had sent him. Haru didn't know her drafts from her training with Reborn were being used in actual combat – something Yamamoto wasn't the only one to frown upon. On the other hand she was doing a damn fine job at it and he hoped that someday they'd be using her plans while she knew they were being used.

The wheels on the dummies were unstable and the balance on a lot of them was off, since they'd been cut over in two-or-more pieces. Getting them rolled off to the storage went fine, though, until the second-to-last one tilted and pushed a box off its place on a shelf. He reached out to catch it, but was too slow and the content was emptied on the floor. _Great_.

Putting the dummy in its place he hurried to get the last before dropping to his knees in the large room to gather all the smaller pieces of equipment and dropping them in the box.

As he brushed the floor to check for escapees, and found none, his Vongola Necklace lit up in a small blue flame that quickly vanished when he pulled his hand away in surprise. Looking closer he noticed the thin coating of protective rain flame on the floor and he easily opened the floorboard. Inside he found a large box with Vongola's seal on it.

"What were you hiding down here, Ugetsu?" he muttered to himself and as he said the words it occurred to him what this meant. It also made perfectly sense; the name of his clan, and the fact that Tsuna was also descended from Primo. The rain coating wasn't something found anywhere else, either – not yet, anyway – so there really wasn't any other explanation.

It wouldn't do to open it here, though, as his father would come looking for him soon, and though his old man had stopped asking questions Yamamoto didn't like putting him in a situation where he should be asking questions. So he closed the small lid and exited the dojo, making sure to close the doors properly behind him. The weather was getting colder.

When he'd said goodnight to his father and turned off the main light in his room later, he turned on his bedside light and sacrificed a little of his sleep to satisfy his curiosity. The coating on the box was easily taken care of and inside he found several scrolls filled with family history and about twenty letters. Under all the paper he found a small leather pouch with a ring inside.

The first letter he opened was from Primo himself, written in Italian;

_My Dear Friend_

_It has been a while. I was very happy to receive your letter and it pleased me very much to hear that you are creating a family of your own. I have heard great things about your Chinese lady and I wish you both the greatest happiness. As we both know, family is the most important thing. You are both, always, welcome in my home. _

The rest was smeared, though there wasn't much, and only Primo's signature and PS were visible;

_I know neither of your cultures give much for rings, but I hope that this one will please her. It was made specifically for your flame and should create a protective barrier if infused by such._

Pulling out the ring once more he studied it. Swallows were engraved on it; Primo had really thought this through. Holding it in his hand he concentrated and watched as a thin layer of blue flame coated the silver. A smiling brunette appeared in his head and he shook his head. Maybe someday he could present it to her, but until then…

He put it back in its bag and turned to the other letters. Half of them were written in kanji, the Chinese called them _hanzi_, didn't they? The other was written in a mix of Japanese Kana and Kanji. The latter was addressed _Li Chun Yu_. Li was a pretty normal Chinese family name, he knew, but didn't Chun Yu mean 'spring rain'?

He chuckled at his predecessor. That name and those words, were _everywhere_ when it concerned the rain guardian.

…spring…

He shook his head. Coincidence. And in any case she would not look his way. Not now, at least. Maybe when she got over Tsuna… hopefully she would. He'd hate to see her hurt and hung up on someone who would never look her way.

Well… he could be patient, he decided.

* * *

Well! Here is the little prologue of Spring Shower. I hope you enjoyed it.

This was written in my exam period in June and originally should have been longer than it was but… upon reflexion the second half was irrelevant and was deleted. It was also supposed to be part of a longer series of Female Rings stories (with long Chrome (x Mukuro), Kyoko (xTsuna), and Hana (xRyohei) stories), and the TsunaKyo story had almost been finished when the pc crashed. I had not saved it on my extern Hard Drive and I despise rewriting stuff when all is gone so this is the only part of the story you shall see, unfortunately.

I _am_, however, working on something else for our dear little Mafia boss and his Donna so for those of you who share my otp of this show look forward to when it is finished ;)

Uh… what else? Oh yes. This story has been finished so you do not have to worry about it being terminated. It won't be updated regularly as I don't really like betaing and rereading – it's gotten better, however, and it _has _to get even better – I grow so easily bored. Hopefully it will be updated once a week, though.

That's it for now :) look forward to the first chapter.

- Pen

PS. yes; I know I've written something to Haru and Dino, but the idea was too irresistible and at the time I had no true shippings in this awesome series. That has changed now and I am a determined shipper of these two. They are so alike that it almost hurts.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1; Ripples in the water, cracks in the mask.**

* * *

It'd started in high school. It'd been a little while after she'd entered, really, and they'd all – slowly – become aware of what it really meant to be in love – well, for the girls' part anyway, she never really talked to the guys in _La Famiglia_ about this stuff, after all. That'd be weird and completely out of character.

In any case.

It had started when Kyoko had told Haru about her feelings for Tsuna. She'd seen a mile away what her crush felt for the golden-haired girl and though Haru'd made her feelings clear to the world she never even took it seriously herself. Because in the end she couldn't imagine her life any other way, she couldn't imagine being so intimate with a person that friendships and mere teasings were long gone.

It hurt her and made her happy that her friend felt this way and that the person she admired got what he wanted. Still… it took her time to get over it, but it also made her think.

What'd it truly mean to be in love? Sure. She'd admired Tsuna, but… while growing up she'd realized something. It'd merely been idolization, puppy-love. Slowly, as she'd let go of her infatuation, she'd grasped that love wasn't just wanting to be close to someone or planning a wedding – like how a child would see it. It was needing to be with that person, it was the continued awareness of that person wherever he may be, always knowing him better than anyone else, it was the warmth at a simple touch, and the happiness blooming in your chest.

Of course, Haru had never actually felt that way until high school. After Kyoko had realised her feelings for the young mafia boss – Kyoko wasn't afraid to be near him and therefore did her best to spend as much time with him as possible – Haru'd gathered enough information from people she knew and from books she read that this was what you felt. One thing about this emotion – if you could even refer to it in singular – was that it required sacrifice and unselfishness – even if the emotion in itself was selfish. This was especially the case when it came to the mafia. Either you knew about it and then you knew all the terrible things that came along with it, what the one you loved went through, and you did your best to support him, or you didn't and you didn't see him often, but loved him all the more when he was there – at least that was how Nana was.

Shaking her head Haru sighed and pushed the book farther down the library table. She'd ditched lunch with her female friends – Chrome, Hana and Kyoko – to study for the math test, coming up. She'd cram with Gokudera, like she did during most of the year, but was too afraid that their arguments would waste their time - especially on a test this important.

"Having trouble?" a smooth, but cheerful voice asked.

"Hahi?" she exclaimed lowly and looked up. She knew to mind her voice in the library, but still… this was the absolute last place she expected him.

In character Yamamoto Takeshi was usually the opposite of the expression 'tall, dark and handsome', but in appearances that was exactly the right words for it. It hadn't taken her long, though, with her ditzy character and high intelligence, to realize that though it was not in the obvious way Yamamoto was mysterious and kept many things to himself, locked from the world by a sunny smile.

"Yo, Miura," he greeted, smile in place, hand held up in greeting. His black hair was damp, she noticed. He'd probably just gotten back from baseball practice. "Sasagawa worried you might be losing track of time, cooped up in here by yourself and asked me to come fetch you for class."

"Hahi! Is it already this late?" Haru said, looking down at her wristwatch, before looking up again and flattering him with a smile. "Thanks for coming to remind me, Yamamoto."

Yamamoto's smile faltered for a moment and her quick brain caught the distant expression fall over his eyes, but it quickly vanished and was replaced by a smile. "You're welcome," he said and moved around the table. With one hand he grabbed her book and bag and the other he offered to help her stand.

As she took the hand he offered, and let him pull her up, she felt his thumb move a small, warm path over her wrist. When she looked up at him, though, his expression was guarded by that smile and she convinced herself it was nothing. "Here," he said and handed her the bag.

"Thank you," she said again, guarding her own questions with a smile. As his hand was replaced by the bag, she could still feel the warm chill running through her hand.

That was how it'd started. A small physical connection that haunted her for days; something she hadn't felt before. She was Japanese and, she knew, less prone to physical contact than - at least - Italians - as she'd learnt from watching a lot of the Mafiosi coming and going. That didn't mean she feared it or that it usually felt that it left a burning mark on her skin - though it was invisible, she had checked.

It didn't stop there - somewhere in her she knew it wouldn't stop there. Small, short touches seemed to follow whenever they stood close or if they had to hurry. A hand on the low of her back to support her or make her walk faster, a knee playfully bumping into hers during study session - she always ended up returning it before berating him on not playing attention - or a hand on her shoulder to alert her of the naturally-born hitman's presence – so as not to surprise her, she assumed.

The whole Family had ended in the same high school on Reborn's request – and under Tsuna's influence. She could have chosen better, she knew that, but instead she studied extra as she was intent on getting into Tokyo University - mainly to please her father – and it worked out fine. Her second year was a hectic, but peaceful one with much laughter and many happy smiles. She'd become more aware of the swordsman, but did not act on her growing emotions.

Winter came and a warning from Basil suddenly arrived, saying that someone was out to hit the vulnerable members of the inner part of the Family. They were looking into it, but until then CEDEF advised that the Guardians should stick to each other and the girls. At this point in time Hana had been included in Omertá and so she was also a person that needed protection.

The shifts were easily taken care of (designed on a lax evening with much influence from Kyoko) and went as such; Ryohei and Tsuna would stick to Hana and Kyoko. The former would decide to have sleepovers for studying during the night, while she stayed with the boxer until he finished training and would accompany her during the day. The Sun Guardian's sister would be accompanied by Tsuna - much to Reborn's satisfaction. Yamamoto would accompany Haru where-ever she needed to go, while Chrome would stay with her during the night. Lambo, though a Guardian, was ordered to stay home during the nights and to deal with the fact that he and Fuuta was to stick with Gokudera – the latter was just as dissatisfied with this solution as the youngest Guardian.

As the first day rolled by and Yamamoto came to pick the two girls up for school he quickly found that his fellow Guardian was much more open – though still quite introverted – with the other girls than with anyone else he'd seen. The two girls chattered away while he kept his distance.

When they entered school grounds he made them aware of the fact that he had to swing by the baseball club. "I'll go with you," the brunette cheerfully volunteered. "See you in class, Chrome!" she added before skipping to catch up with him.

"Thank you for being friends with her," he said when they were out of earshot. "Tsuna always worries for her."

Haru shot him a bright smile. "It's no trouble at all," she told him and felt his hand land on her shoulder to guide her through a crowd of girls sighing over an annoyed Hibari. It felt slightly uncomfortable to be pulled so close to his side, a slow fire licked against her side from where they touched. "We all really like Chrome," she added as his hand vanished again. "So we're not doing it to please anyone."

"As expected," he laughed good-naturedly. When they arrived he asked her to stay outside and ducked in through the door. He let it stay open, but she stayed put, fishing a book out of her bag. Muffled voices could be heard from inside before two guys from class D exited. As they did they glanced her way and smirked evilly.

A lump in her throat gathered, but she ignored it, shooting them a glare before turning back to her book. This could mean trouble, she thought and swallowed when she was sure they weren't watching her anymore. She wished this school had a gymnastics team so she could have kept in shape.

"Ready to go?" Yamamoto asked, suddenly appearing in the door.

"Hahi!" she squeaked and snapped her book shut, feeling her heart speed up and her cheeks flame. "Sure!"

"Good," he grinned and steered her towards the nearest entrance.

"You know," she said as they fought their way up the stairs. Her voice and breath came out a little staggered by the third while his stayed completely even. "I don't mind if you have stuff to do. I don't have anything special going on after school anyway so you don't have to cancel anything for my sake."

He stayed silent for a good moment, speeding up to hold the door open for her. "So what you're saying is that you don't mind sitting on a bench most of your afternoon, or waiting while I help the old man in the sushi restaurant?" she shook her head in answer. "You won't even mind sitting on a cold hardwood floor while I practice my Shigure Soen Ryu?"

To the last statement she grinned. "I'd be honoured to watch you," she said sincerely. "Besides I don't want you to mess up your routine or training just because of me. I can study anywhere. Except... Once a month we have this thing called Appreciation Day so -"

"I know," he grinned. "I'm sure Tsuna and Sasagawa won't mind being dragged along to a cake shop. I definitely won't and we can all go together."

Her usual smile, shell, cracked and she beamed at him.

It didn't take long before something happened. It wasn't what had been anticipated and it wasn't who they had anticipated - not that time at least.

It'd been a sunny day, in spite of the season, and Yamamoto had spent extra time on the field practicing while she studied from the bleachers. So when the sun started setting, and he finally decided it was time to head back, campus was - almost - deserted.

"You sure you won't regret this?" he asked as she gathered her things. He'd been trying to convince her to give the bat a try and she'd refused each time insisting that baseball really wasn't her thing.

"I'm sure," she replied with a smile.

As they exited the field he suddenly stopped, tensing and glancing at their surroundings, hands on the bag hanging from his shoulder. She stood silently beside him, knowing full well that he was on his guard and that he had sensed something. A few moments of silence encased them before he relaxed once more and turned to her with a smile. "How are your studies going?"

"I'm almost over everything my father asked," she replied, returning the smile, and ignoring the hand that suddenly landed on her lower back, guiding her. Cold flames shot up through her back like a plant twisting against a wall and a silent message rung through the air; they were not alone, but someone was biding their time. "Sure you don't want help studying for tests?"

"Nah, I'll pass," he assured her, laughing. He fiddled with the key to the boys' locker room. "I won't bother you with my stupidity and you're the one that needs the grades."

"You're not stupid, Yamamoto!" she protested. "You're very capable of understanding your own field of expertise and I've seen you cramming over strategic plans. You just don't care much for- _what_?"

"Have you been defending me behind my back? You seem to have given that speech before," he laughed and she huffed. Yamamoto didn't mention that it had been her strategic plans, mainly. He held the door open for her and she suddenly faltered. His eyes grew serious. "Sorry, Miura," he said. "Right now we don't have a choice."

With that he promptly pushed her through the door, ignoring her protests and locking the door behind them. The only ones with a key were the team members. "I'll dress in the bathing area, stay here," he said gently, grabbed his things and vanished around the wall.

As soon as the water started running she sighed heavily and slid down against the wall. It was really _really_ weird, sitting here in the half dark, listening to his movements on the other side of the wall. He was naked, how could this not affect her?! She'd just have to stay calm and try not to hyperventilate, she decided. Her beating heart was another matter and she wasn't even sure if it was because he was attractive in general (and there was the whole problem with teenagers and hormones and her current predicament) or because she was attracted to him. Yes, there was a difference.

A few moments later things went downhill. The door soundlessly clicked open and she grew very still, all thoughts of boys and uncomfortable situations went out the window. At the thought of all the mafia battles she'd been witness to she knew she didn't stand a chance. Maybe if she didn't move they wouldn't notice her...? Of course, that was a ridiculous thought, her mind chided and turned to going through several scenarios to find the best possible way out of this.

The water was still running and she knew he couldn't be done anytime soon. She'd have to make it known to him, somehow, that they were not alone and that he had to hurry. The door opened fully to reveal no mafia goons, but the two second years that had smirked at her earlier. It did nothing to help her uneasiness.

"Hooo..." one, the taller of the two, drawled. "Looks like you were right. But why'd annoying Yamamoto leave his girlfriend all alone in here?" Were they deaf? Could they not hear the water running?

She had half a mind to tell them that she was not his girlfriend, but figured it wouldn't help her much. The other half was spending time considering if they hadn't noticed that he was just beyond the wall to their right. Right, best buy him some time and make him know they had company.

"Please don't talk as if I can't hear you," she snapped, her loud voice echoed against the walls and the two stiffened. They weren't the only ones; she had a very strong feeling that Yamamoto was paying close attention too.

She shifted and let her feet land on the floor. She tapped her feet twice and met the taller guy's eyes. He was glaring at her.

Suddenly the smaller of the two was in her face, leaning on the wall behind her. Haru hated herself for it, but she flinched and pulled back a little, earning a nasty grin from the offending student. Oh, how she wanted to punch him. "Women should stay silent when the men are speaking," he hissed.

She snorted a laugh. "You're not anywhere close to being what you call yourselves," she said and leaned back against the wall. Nothing compared to any of the people she knew, who were actually men. Nothing compared to Dino, Tsuna, or the person behind the wall. The sound of running water had vanished. "Besides. This is the twenty-first century, not heian jidai1. Men and women are equals."

"Oh, really?" he sneered and grabbed her wrist, pulling her with cruel force towards him. A part of her registered that there was no fire running up her arm from where he touched her. She let her other hand reach out and push at his chest, trying to pull away, but knew it was futile. His other hand was slowly running up her waist and she felt an urge to vomit. It didn't help that his mouth was suddenly moving very close to her throat. "What do you call this if not inequality?"

Something nasty and wet met her neck and the muscles contracted in a silent scream. She wanted to bend over or to pull away, or to do something! But the disgusting feeling of being taken advantage of had frozen her limbs and-

A sudden feeling of dread washed over her, awakening her panic-frozen mind, as a killing intent reached her senses. "I'd remove myself from Haru, if I were you," a dark, calm - so calm - voice said and she dared to look up, first noticing the sharp blade against her captor's neck and then catching Yamamoto's angry gaze behind the D class guy. Her mouth went dry and she was sure a soundless sob of relief escaped her mouth. He caught it and his eyes hardened further. Were flames slowly growing from the blade? "Now," he added.

Immediately the hands holding her released her and the nauseating wet feeling on her neck vanished, and she stumbled back into her seat with a muffled cry of surprise. "You aren't allowed to bring weapons to school!" the guy protested. He'd jumped out of Yamamoto's reach - or rather, he had been allowed to do so by the swordsman. Haru watched while frantically trying to remove the spit from her neck.

"That's not true," Yamamoto corrected, anger completely under control, but also completely out in the open. A picture of Byakuran appeared in her mind, the ruthless man would have spoken as softly as Yamamoto did now, but he would have been smiling. The Vongola Guardian was not, her heart calmed at the thought and she felt she could breathe a little easier. "This shinai is perfectly alright to carry around on school grounds - as well as any baseball bat or Hibari's tonfas. That doesn't mean I can't seriously hurt you with it, if I wish to do so."

The guy spluttered as he noticed that the blade had changed before backing away towards the door and taking off like the coward he was. She slowly glanced around for the other and noticed he was lying, unconscious, on the ground. Otherwise he was unhurt.

The killing intent in the air suddenly vanished and she released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. It was then it came to her notice that he was only wearing pants - pants that hadn't been buttoned properly yet.

"You okay?" he asked as he knelt in front of her, gently grabbing her wrist to examine it. "Did he touch you anywhere else?"

She shook her head numbly. The fire was stronger now than it'd ever been and she knew her face was red. The white-hot flames moved up her arm and through her body, towards her neck. It was as if the power he had over her was trying to calm her as much as he was consciously trying to do. "It's going to leave a bruise. Please ask Chrome to help you so you don't make it-"

"Um... Y-Y-Yamamoto?" she stuttered and he looked up, brown eyes free from any serious emotion. "Please go get dressed." In spite of the situation she still saw the arrogant satisfaction in his eyes. Without a word he vanished once more and didn't return for several minute.

Stupid male pride! What did he think she thought he was?! Sex on legs?! ... Okay maybe that fit him pretty accurately. Still, another part of her brain worriedly pointed out, there were too many big scars on both his chest and back... Why'd he been so angry? Sure, she'd been in danger, but it wasn't really anything compared to what the guardian had been through. And he'd called her by her given name, not her family name.

"I'm reporting this to Hibari," he announced as he emerged from the other room now fully dressed, hair still dripping. He bowed and grabbed the wallet from the guy, probably looking for a card showing identity as proof for later on. "This is something the Disciplinary Committee needs to know about."

She nodded dumbly and kept her eyes downcast. Her face was still red and she could still see that bare chest on her inner eye. "Haru?" his tone had grown serious and he was kneeling in front of her, trying to catch her eyes. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you? I know you know what they wanted to do to you..."

"Oh course, I know," she half snapped and finally met his gaze. "But I was too concerned with letting you know they were there to worry about -" a tear slid down her cheek and she stopped defending herself. She hadn't actually thought about it and the realisation made her so scared she started trembling. No. Those were lies. His lips had touched her neck and her mind had blanked in blind panic. She felt a hand on her arm and heard him whisper her name as he removed the offending water from her cheek. "The-they - they wouldn't ha-have had the guts to go all the way right?"

"They wouldn't have had the chance," he told her and she felt the killing intent radiating from his body again. He resembled a dragon greatly when angry. "And both boss and Reborn would have had a great deal to clean up."

It wasn't often she heard him refer to Tsuna as his boss and she was all too aware of what he implied at. How many had he already killed for the Family? Reborn had once told her he was already working as a hitman and that he could be as great as the infant had once been - before becoming an Arcobaleno.

She nodded dumbly only to show that she had heard him. She was still too busy trying to stop trembling. "We should get out of here," he said after a little while and pulled his hand away from her face. As he gathered her things and put them in his sports bag he continued talking. "The nurse's office is closed by now so you're coming with me home so we can take care of that wrist of yours. Sushi is on the house and you need some smiling faces and a positive atmosphere."

She nodded numbly and rose, following him out the door, silent. He told her later that it was the first time he'd seen her smile completely cracked and it had made him all the more eager to have a talk with Hibari. He also informed her, much later, that her mask had received a serious crack then, making her expressions more serious and more sincere.

As they walked from the school his hand brushed her arm. "You're still trembling," he muttered, concern in his voice. When she didn't respond he exhaled a sigh and pulled an arm over her shoulder to cover her eyes with a hand. She cried silently the whole way to the sushi restaurant.

* * *

As I read these pages once more mental notes return to me, one of them being that I now remember why I started writing this. Not only did I want to explore the personalities of these two, but I also wanted to explore what it meant to be in love. With all the romance you'd think I'd fallen a great amount of times, but I've only done so once and it was quite tragic.

That, of course, explains my tendency to write the female protagonists so whiny and crybaby-ish – which I try to fight and avoid, I think it's getting better, you judge – but it is otherwise irrelevant to the reader.

This story was supposed to be just a fun little oneshot, but 2k evolved to plus-24k. I hope you can keep up with their growth :)

Also:

Heian Jidai means 'the Heian period' and… as you may have noticed I have _mostly_ omitted the use of honourifics but still use them once in a while. That is because it isn't really relevant unless I want to put pressure on the way they address each other or if it sounds wrong to my own ear that they don't use it. I hope that explains it *sweatdrop* sorry for being confusing.

- Pen

1 The heian period


	3. Chapter 2

Note: Let's face it. I won't be able to wait a week with my updates.

* * *

**Chapter 2; Clearing waters, glimpse of the bottom.**

* * *

"Yes... Yes... Of course, Tsuna. I've already texted Chrome to tell her she's staying with us tonight and I've also told Hibari. -" a chuckle "- no, he wasn't happy. ...I'm okay, she's okay, nothing happened. ...yes, I am angry, but this is school related and I can't just take my anger out at the bastards because of- no, of course that has nothing to do with my - "an exasperated sigh "- Please just don't tell the other girls until the matter is taken care of, we don't need to worry them."

With that Haru heard him tell Tsuna good night and turn off the phone. "I'm staying here tonight?" she whispered as he found the sushi shop's first aid kit and placed it on the table.

"Technically you and Chrome are sleeping at Sasagawa's, but right now I feel too angry with what happened to let you go home," he confessed, smile in place. What'd that mean? That he needed someone to keep him from doing something stupid? Or was he angry with her? Maybe he was afraid she would do something stupid. "No, I'm not angry with you," he added as if he'd read her mind. "Never angry with you."

As Yamamoto found the tools he needed his father suddenly appeared behind the counter. "Welcome home, Takeshi," he said with a smile. It quickly vanished, though, as his eyes fell on the pair. "What happened?"

"Someone tried to force his way on her," the younger Yamamoto said, his voice cold. He gently grabbed her hand and started treating it.

"I hope you've told the school about this," his father said before turning to her. "You okay, Haru?"

She shook her head. "I'm shaken, but otherwise fine. Thanks to Yamamoto," she added, her eyes falling on his pleasant expression - a carefully placed mask. "Nothing serious happened."

"I'd call this serious," the Guardian said and pulled at her wrist, making her flinch from the pain. "It's sprained."

Haru ignored the comment and the calming effect his hands were having on her as they worked on aiding the wrist. "He's already called Hibari," she continued. "So they'll probably be in the hospital for the next month and transferring afterwards. This is the worst kind of offence to the Deciplinary Commetee and he despises it."

The sushi chef nodded and studied his son for a long moment. "I'm glad to hear that," he said finally. "Well, young lady, you're definitely staying for dinner. Sushi on the house."

A smile finally crossed her face, more timid than usual, but a smile none-the-less. "Thank you."

* * *

The days following these events were calm ones with little incident. The girls were told at a small meeting after Hibari had kicked the bastards out of school and they all fussed, making sure she was alright. The only ones who noticed the lie in her smile were Tsuna and Yamamoto, but the former trusted the latter to keep an eye on her and she stuck closer to him than usually.

Friday after the incident she was sitting by the wall in his family dojo, watching him train. It was an amazing experience to see his quick moves and precise work.

The door beside her slid open and his father entered. "Hello, Haru," he greeted with a smile. "It's getting cold so I brought you some blankets."

"Thank you," she smiled and accepted them. She sat down on one and draped the other over her shoulders.

"How are you doing?" he asked and revealed a cup of green tea.

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied politely, accepting the cup with a grateful sigh. The warmth from the cup was burning her hands, but it also spread through her limbs and removed the chill from her body. February could be cruel.

"He's worried about you," he admitted and tossed his head towards his son. "Even if you won't say anything to anyone else, please confide in my son. You two are a lot alike; you hide things behind a smile. But you're not stupid enough to know when others aren't doing the same."

The sound of motions stopped and a moment later the Guardian was towering above them. "Yo. Thanks for grabbing some blankets, old man," he grinned and his father rose. "But don't you have customers?"

A look of dread washed over the older man. "Right," he said and smiled down at Haru. "Don't stay here too late, you two. It gets cold here."

"Thank you for the tea," she called after him before Yamamoto closed the door behind his father. She wrinkled her nose at him. "You smell," she declared and he laughed.

"And you're freezing," he replied and offered her a hand. How he knew, she couldn't tell.

Putting down her tea she made a show of ignoring his hand and removing the blankets before folding them and placing them in his hands. He chuckled and moved the blankets under the other arm and offered her his hand once more. Finally she grabbed her cup of tea and placed her hand in his trying to ignore the flames that spread through her body as his fingers curled around her smaller limb. They were calloused and gentle as always. He pulled her up with ease and dropped it too quickly for her liking.

They helped each other put the things away and entered the main house through a rarely used entrance to avoid the cold rain outside. In the kitchen she refilled her cup of tea and filled one for him as well – though, this one with milk, as she knew it was his favourite - before they continued down a hall to his room. Here he placed his katana and a necklace on the coffee table before exiting for a shower.

Curious she put down her cup and picked up the necklace. The design looked pretty complex for something to wear and it reminded her of the rings Tsuna wore. Dark silver showed a long katana, a box with an X and a dog at the handle. "Vongola Famiglia" it read on the X-crest and she realized that this, as much as his Shigure Kintoki was his weapon. Her fingers traced the dog's ears and she wondered about the name. She recognized the breed; Akita Inu. The dog usually only owned by the emperor earlier on in history.

When he returned not too long after she was lying on the floor, staring out the window. "Hey, Yamamoto?" she asked absentmindedly. "Your family's dojo's name is Asarigumi, right?"

"Yeah?" he asked, hand on towel, which was drying his hair.

"And the first Vongola Guardian of the Rain was called Ugetsu Asari, right`"

His face appeared over her one and his hair dripped on her. "Have you been studying Vongola history too?" he teased. "Where do you find all that time, Haru?"

He was sitting cross-legged beside her head, leaning over her, smiling. Her eyes, however, had once more followed the path of his neck and seen that his chest was naked – again. "Hahi!" she exclaimed and scrambled to get away from him. "Put on some clothes!" Her injured hand hit the floor and she hissed in pain.

He was by her side in a second checking on the sprain and she was painfully aware of how close he was. His body was still radiating heat from the workout and hot shower and their upper arms were touching. "You have to be more careful, Haru," he chided as he gently put the hand down.

She crossed her arms and glared at his face - his face! "You're making too much of a fuss," she declared. "And please go put on a shirt!"

"What?" he said, his mouth stretching in that particular smirk again. His face was suddenly very close to hers, so close she could see the flecks of hazel in his intense, but smiling eyes. Her brain blew up. "You don't like it? Am I not entitled to do whatever I want in my own home?"

"O-Of course," she stuttered and tried to move away from him. She wasn't even sure which question she had answered. Their chests were almost touching and he had just followed her when she had leant away. At least some of her gymnastics training was staying or she would have fallen backwards into an embarrassing pile of body parts by now. "But it's just indecent to wear so little in - in front of a young lady!"

His smile grew even more wicked - if that was possible. "And it's just as indecent for said young lady to ogle at young men's chests," he teased.

"H-Haru wasn't o-o-ogli-what?!" the last came out in a snap.

"You're reverting back to third person," he pointed out. He was laughing way too much over this! But… at least he had pulled away.

"S-So what?!" she exclaimed. "You're the one who's being way too smug over this!"

"Am I?" his voice grew quiet and the eyes that met hers were filled with quiet but intense adoration - something he'd been trying to hide but had allowed her to see, for now. Her breath caught. "Am I not allowed to feel smug when a beautiful young woman is complimenting me - even if it's unintentional?"

Her mouth went dry and she couldn't find her voice. For a moment there was only him in front of her, the words spoken between them and an intense beating of her heart. Then...

The doors to his emotions snapped shut with a loud sound she was sure she could hear - even if it was only a metaphor. His smile returned and he rose to find a sweater. "So what of my predecessor?" he asked, his voice light and curious.

Her brain was drowning and her body paralysed. What the...? What had just happened? She tried to find the right words and by the time she did he had found a black one, pulled it on, and was placing himself in front of her, grabbing the cup of milk. "Have you ever thought that he might be more than just your predecessor? What if he's also your ancestor?"

And so the conversation went back to normal - safe - topics and for a time they acted as if they'd forgotten what had happened. She'd follow his father's advice in time, but for the moment she focused on other matters. One being berating herself for acting on emotions like these. How could it be so different between him and those two a few days ago?

Sunday came around and they visited Tsuna for their usual study session that always ended in a shouting match between Gokudera and Haru over some university maths problem while Reborn promptly ignored them and calmly tutored a perplexed Tsuna and a laughing Yamamoto.

That day, as soon as Yamamoto exited for the bathroom, she calmed down so fast Gokudera fell over backwards staring at her in fright. She ignored him and turned to Tsuna and Reborn. "I'm sorry to be so frank, but I need to know," she announced. "What role does the women - wives more specifically - play in the mafia?"

Both boys stiffened, but the baby on the table calmly smiled and turned to her. "You're not talking Donna duties here, right Haru?" she shook her head and saw Tsuna sigh with relief.

The brunette straightened a little. "As far as I know it depends on two things," he said suddenly seeming a bit more academic - he really was better with mafia related knowledge than with school books. "First is your standing concerning Omertá. If you know about us you're involved with what your husband does, but if not it's like with mum. Secondly it depends on your job, if you're working for the mafia you know more and are more involved than if you don't – it's pretty much your own choice to some extent. The two are closely related and the rules concerning this are pretty complex," he admitted and scratched the back of his head. "I could lend them to you or you could come here to read them if you'd like?"

She shook her head and smiled at the young mafia boss. "No, but thank you, Tsuna. I was only concerned of being careful with my heart around Mafiosi in the future - afraid I may have had to change my way of living when I got married."

The baby on the table smirked. "That's nothing you have to worry about since you're both a part of Decimo's inner circle. Different rules apply to you."

"Hahi! What are you talking about, Reborn? Both?" she exclaimed, but knew the baby wasn't stupid.

Fuuta, who had been teaching a slightly calmer eight year old Lambo chess on Tsuna's bed, suddenly spoke up - and in a voice that showed he was ranking ("Aaah! Fuuta you're making the pieces fly! Lambo doesn't remember where they were!"). "Haru and Takeshi are number two out of four-hundred-and-seventy-five on Mafioso Couples that never fight!"

"Hahi!" Haru exclaimed, blushing furiously. "Couple?!"

Gokudera and Tsuna exchanged a look before the former smirked. "So that's why you asked."

"Wasn't it obvious?" Reborn said. "As Tsuna's right-hand man you should have noticed she asked as soon as he was out of the room."

"Will you two -" but before Haru could start yelling at them the door opened and Yamamoto re-entered. Her head whipped from the two, who had teased her to the young hitman and back to Tsuna, a pleading look in her eyes. The young mafioso nodded slowly and turned back to Fuuta, who was still in ranking mode. "Who's first?"

"Yuni and Gamma."

Tsuna exhaled a sigh. "I was almost afraid it was mum and dad."

As Fuuta returned to normal Reborn turned to Haru. "Ditch the idiots and come look at this simulation for a moment."

A collective "hey!" was heard, but the infant ignored them. Haru just muttered an "again?" and walked over to have a look at the papers, not seeing the narrowing eyes of Tsuna, who recognised Reborn's schemes. Fuuta spoke up again while setting the chess pieces for a new game, much to Lambo's annoyance ("Lambo was winning!"). "According to earlier rankings Haru is first in Best Future Vongola Strategist and Advisor".

* * *

Finally Appreciation Day rolled around for the month and the girls were excited. Most of their group was meeting by the cake shop and Tsuna had offered to pay for the whole ordeal as an apology for once again dragging them into danger. The girls protested that if they had minded, they would have never gotten involved with what the boys had been up to, but Tsuna insisted.

Yamamoto knocked on Haru's door a little past eleven. "Yo," he grinned and she returned his smile, calling over her shoulder that she was heading out.

"Where's Chrome?" he asked as she shut the door.

"She said she wanted to check in on her apartment so she left half an hour ago," Haru explained. "She'll meet us later."

His fingers brushed her palm shooting a tingle up her arm. "Something could have happened," he chided, voice calm.

"I know," she sighed and clenched her fist. "But since nothing has happened yet, I figured it was unlikely that something - hahi!"

He'd grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alleyway just as something shot past her ear. He didn't stop to listen, but manoeuvred her quickly through the maze of smaller paths between the houses and finally pulled her through the entrance to the shopping area. Still... As she glanced back she saw two men in suits easily keeping track of them. "They know how we look," she hissed just as he pulled her into a store.

His eyes scanned the rows of people and caught on something in the back. His grip on her hand tightened and he easily manoeuvred her through the many people, through a door and into an alley. But he didn't stop there, either, and she had soon lost count of how many times they'd turned. When he finally stopped she immediately pulled her hand free to lean on her knees, breathing heavily.

"They'll find us again as soon as we enter the main street," he sighed and pulled out his phone to text Tsuna.

"How do you know?"

"Your hair," he said. "You're too easy to spot in a crowd."

"Eh? Really?" she straightened, having caught her breath.

His eyes darkened and she stiffened. She'd forgotten it wasn't a compliment. "In our business that's a bad thing," he reminded her and was suddenly leaning over her. Her heart sped up a little - this really was not the time for her emotions to jump in. His hand shot up and grabbed an auburn lock, his facial expression growing soft. She'd straightened it for the day, keeping it down and flowing. It was her number one charm point after all and it was to be treasured. "It'd be a pity to cut it," he said and then he stepped back, grabbed the tuque he'd been wearing and pulled it off.

She turned her back to him and let his skilled hands pull her hair up onto her head before pulling the hat down over her head.

Then she turned and grinned up at him. "Bow your head a little," she instructed and giggled at his perplexed expression. He did as she said, though, and soon her hands were moving through his hair putting it back in order. The black strands were silkier than she imagined and she couldn't help humming as she worked. Finally the Guardian seemed to have had enough and his hand grabbed hers. Suddenly she'd been backed against a wall and was staring up into intense brown eyes. He'd let his walls down again and she felt almost suffocated by the intensity. Her breath hitched in her throat at the same time as her heart skipped. Not good, wrong reaction. "You're not making this easy, you know that?" he said, voice dark and smooth – it reminded her of black velvet and it was so unlike him.

Her mind was racing at his words. Not making what easy? And for who? Him or her? Or the both of them? Her mouth opened and closed several times. Why was he looking at her like that, anyway?! "Y-Yamamo-"

"There they are!" someone shouted and she heard footsteps just as Yamamoto's eye twitched and he reached for his sword.

"Good timing," he smirked and turned to the two Mafiosi standing at the end of the alley. They'd put away their guns. "I'm in a bad mood right now and it's about time we figured out who you're working for."

She saw him shifting the blade and move. Suddenly he was standing very close to the two before easily swinging the katana several times in quick succession. Haru closed her eyes, not ready to see death, was he not afraid of being spotted so close to the public? She heard the bodies fall to the ground and shrank closer to the wall, hugging herself. She'd not expected this, had not prepared for it. She felt to mentally fragile after having been subject to that particular look of his.

"It's okay," a gentle voice reached her ears and a warm hand touched her face. When had he moved from -? How had he moved so fast?! She flinched at the touch, hating herself for being so afraid of this side of him. "Haru, I shifted the sword so I didn't hit them with the sharp edge."

A cold snout pressed against her hand and she relaxed unconsciously. His hand rested on her cheek once more, but she kept her eyes closed afraid she might let a tear slip if she opened them. Instead she threw herself into his unexpecting arms, wrapping her own around him and clenching her fists in his shirt. "Haru!" he exclaimed in surprise, he was half laughing. "Come on, did you really think I'd cut them down right in front of you?"

A moment of pause and she finally shook her head. Not unless they were really in danger. But it had surprised her. "But you can still do it so easily," she whispered. Her nose was pressed against his chest and he smelled like grass and earth. "I'm sorry Yama-"

"Don't you think it's about time you started referring to me by my given name?" he asked gently, a hand landing on her head. "And it's my job. What good would I be to Tsuna if I was bad at it?"

"But-" she protested. He didn't deserve their blood on his hands. He should let someone else -

"There's no one else, Haru," he chided gently. "This is our world and we have to see it for what it is. If we aren't disillusioned we won't survive here. Now come on," he added, "I need your help tying them up - best before they wake."

It took her a moment to find the strength to free the fabric of his shirt from her fingers. It was warm and safe there in his arms, but she couldn't stay there forever. Slowly she stepped back and met his now calm gaze. The smile on his lips spoke volumes and her knees trembled. She was welcome back as long as she did not use them to hide herself from the world one hundred per cent.

Steeling her heart she set to work beside him. For a while it was silent, but as they finished tying them up she couldn't help asking; "How come you don't seem worried that someone will find us?"

In answer he pointed upwards. "Kojiro has fixed us a barrier. No one can see anything but what they expect to see and since they don't expect to see what we're doing they don't." She followed the finger and saw a swallow fly in circles above them. When had he activated his Gear?

Haru nodded and her gaze fell on him for a moment. Then, for the first time, she noticed the dog by his side. It was watching her with calm blue eyes and almost looked expectant. She winked at it, as she'd been taught when little, and motioned for it to come closer. As she scratched its ear she caught his gaze. "I'm sorry for overreacting, Takeshi," she said and he smiled. It didn't feel weird, at all, to use his given name. "And thank you. For reminding me and... For considering my reactions. We... We really are protected, us girls."

An affectionate smile crossed his face and she saw that the storm in his eyes had cleared. "It's not your duty to protect the family the way we do," he said. "Many members of the family never see violence and Tsuna wouldn't forgive himself if you were forced to get your hands dirty. You'll have much more delicate jobs - diplomacy and strategy. So you shouldn't worry about that."

The dog in front of her barked happily and waggled its tail and she giggled. "He told me you were curious about my necklace," Takeshi added. "Did you learn anything from having a closer look?"

She nodded and removed her hands from the dog. "This child is a treasured part of you, much like your Shigure Kintoki," she said and felt her cheeks heat when he smiled approvingly.

They sat for a moment smiling at each other until Yamamoto's phone rang. He startled a little and quickly answered. Tsuna was worried, but he relaxed as soon as Takeshi finished his report. The boss suggested they didn't proceed to the cake shop, but instead did whatever they wanted, money had already been transferred to Yamamoto's card and a team was on its way to pick up the bastards. He wanted Haru to be in a place away from too much fuss. It'd been too long since any of the girls had seen violence and though it was now they had to learn she of all people would see plenty and have plenty of battles on her hands later on.

As he closed the phone and put it in his pocket Yamamoto turned to Haru with a grin. "So it's about time I taught you how to swing a bat," he announced after having quickly relayed Tsuna's message.

"Hahi! Bu-but Takeshi, I've -"

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

* * *

And…. Here we are with another chapter. I remember wanting to write the chase after reading xxkoffeexx's _Charm Point_, and yes, it's basically the same, but in my defence that was an awesome oneshot. Go read her stuff! She's the reason why I love this pairing!

Oh, and since I'm going through these chapters before I'm publishing them I may forget to thank you awesome readers for your reviews, but don't forget! I'm very grateful for them and I appreciate every comment I get!

- Pen


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3; blood falls into the puddle and reason is restored**

* * *

It was weird going to school without him and Chrome now that everything had calmed down, Haru mused, as she closed the door in their fence. The house had been quiet and lonely and the walk was the same. "Well," she muttered to herself as she started walking, "at least now I have time to think."

The only reason why they had not been targeted further was that the Mafiosi had been gently persuaded to tell on their superiors and they'd stumbled over their words to not feel the wrath of several Vongola Guardians - namely Chrome and Gokudera. Afterwards Tsuna had sent a polite - albeit untraceable - e-mail, - curtsy of Shouichi Irie ("No need to have your systems attacked by virus and crackers.") – to make sure the message got across; do not touch Decimo's family.

It'd been a relief to the girls that everything was over - or at least that their lives were no longer in danger. That didn't mean they were happy that any of their excuses to use extra time with the guys were gone, though. "Oh, shut up, Kyoko," Hana and Haru had exclaimed over the phone the previous night.

"You still cook for Sawada half the month because his parents keep vanishing to Italy," Hana continued. "And I'm sure he wouldn't even ask for a reason if you suddenly started hanging around him all. The. Time."

"Hana, I'm not his dog!"

"You guys are lucky," Haru sighed and the bickering girls immediately quieted at the unusual tone from the otherwise upbeat girl. "Kyoko cooks for Tsuna and Hana doesn't even need an excuse because Kyoko is her best friend and Sasagawa is her brother... But the only reason I got to hang so much out with Takeshi was -"

"Hold on," Kyoko said, urgency in her voice, and there was a sound of a closing door. Then ..."Takeshi?! Since when do you call him by his first name?"

"Uh..." she hesitated. "Since he asked me to, I guess. He calls me 'Haru', so I guess it's only fair."

Squeals and gushings were sent her way and her cheeks coloured. Hana was the first to sober. "But seriously, what did you mean? I can't just talk to him if my excuse is to see Kyoko."

"No, but if Kyoko is at Tsuna's then you have to spend time with him."

And so the planning started. A sigh escaped Haru's lips as she relived the conversation from the night before. If only she had an excuse. She'd left her problem out on purpose for the other girls to enjoy their planning. She guessed it'd come in time as he'd already showed interest in her. Her cheeks heated as she remembered the times he let his walls down and she had to slap herself. He hadn't even touched her at those times for goodness' sake! There was no reason to act like he had!

"Yo!" A hand landed on the top of her head and...

... she jumped away in surprise - "Hahi!" - only to look up and see Yamamoto standing behind her. "Takeshi," she exclaimed. "You surprised me. Good morning."

"Morning," he returned, smile on his face. "How have you been?"

She faltered a little. Lonely was the first word that crossed her mind, but she couldn't say that. "Okay, I guess," she said. As they started walking she shot him a smile. "What about you?"

"I'm good," he said and fell silent. To her it sounded like he had more to say, but decided against pointing it out. Then... "The baseball season is starting up again in a few weeks so that's something I'll be looking forward to."

"That's good," she chirped in. "You'll still be coming for study sessions on Sundays, right?"

"Of course," he laughed. "Reborn would kill me if I didn't. Most games are on satur-" a yawn caught him off and she glanced at him worriedly.

"Long night?" He usually wasn't one to stay up.

He shrugged. "I had a job..."

"Oh..." she hoped it hadn't been too serious and that Tsuna didn't push him too hard.

"I'm okay, Haru," he assured her and patted her hair as they entered campus. "Don't worry."

She bowed her head a little, closing her eyes at the contact. "Okay," she whispered.

His hand vanished. "Good." At the entrance he stopped. "I have to go talk to the captain before class," he said looking apologetic. "Go ahead without me."

"Sure," she shot him a smile. "Oh, Takeshi?" she called after him, summoning her courage.

He stopped and looked back at her with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Can I still watch you practice once in a while?"

His smile grew. "Of course!"

* * *

She didn't go as often as she may have liked, knowing that she should not obsess over him. Instead she made sure to spend plenty of time with the girls, help out at Chrome's and have study sessions with Gokudera. She also took on more of Reborn's simulations and puzzles much to Tsuna's displeasure.

"You know he's training you up, right?" he asked while helping her carry books from the library to their Italian class.

"Who?"

"Reborn," he sighed. "To be a strategist."

"Of course I know that," she laughed. "But you need that too, right? And I'm good at it."

"I know, but Haru..." he stopped and forced her to face him. "He isn't telling you the consequences."

"Hahi?" she muttered and met his gaze with steady eyes. "Then it's your job as my boss to inform me, isn't it?" she asked, her voice and smile sweet.

He cursed under his breath and then spoke up. "You've been worrying about something lately, haven't you, Haru?" his eyes were hard and direct, worried for her. "About the blood on our hands and whether we deserve such a thing."

She gaped at him. How had he known? Then she looked away and nodded her head. "Takeshi has already spoken to me about this," she admitted and shifted the load in her arms. "And I know you're trying to change the mafia, but..." here she looked up at him again, "are you really able to handle all those lives? Is it-"

"We've accepted this a long time ago," Tsuna sighed, interrupting her. "We don't kill unless it is to protect ourselves or the Family, and we have each other to lean on. That's how we handle the heavier and heavier load. But there are some who has to handle much heavier loads than the ones who kill."

"The bosses?" she asked when realising that he wanted her to guess it.

"And the strategists, some others too," he explained. "You will be the one to decide how we handle things, and how many will be killed will be up to you. Would you be able to handle that load easily, Haru?"

Her mouth opened and closed. This wasn't something she could think about easily. She'd have to think it over for a while before she had a proper answer for something like this. Another's death was a huge responsibility and she told him to give her time before she could give him an answer. To this he smiled fondly. "Thank you. And I'm sorry, but it's a test I'm putting all you girls through. You need to figure out why you'd want to step into our dark world. It has to be independent and something that drives you for the rest of your life. You can't back down after taking the first leap."

"It's okay," she said, smiling mask in place. "Thank you for considering me," she added and bowed in respect. "I'll do my best to present an answer that will satisfy you."

* * *

Haru wished she could only say that she did this because she wanted to follow Tsuna's idea. She wanted to support him in his journey to make Vongola and its supporters better, working for other things than people's ruin. She wished she could only say it was because she wanted to work with the man she was very much in love with, because she wanted to ensure that he was safe – that she'd do what she could to keep everyone safe. She wished it was enough that this was what she was good at and therefore she wanted to work with it.

But it'd take more than that. She'd have to find peace with herself and all the murders she'd cause. She had a responsibility to at least honour those and to accept it. She wasn't sure she could, though, and she wondered how Tsuna dealt with it – a Boss was responsible for all of his subordinates' actions after all, all the murders and all the hurting they caused. He had more on his shoulders than her and she dearly wanted to ask.

In an attempt to better understand her own desires and the desires of the original inner circle of Vongola Famiglia she'd borrowed the Legacy from Tsuna. It was a book containing Primo's diaries and files on his Guardians. The long volumes had been typed into an encrypted file by Spanner and installed on her phone and Haru read it whenever she had time to spare.

"You seem awfully distracted," Yamamoto commented as he threw himself onto the bleachers one Saturday afternoon after a match.

She quickly put down the phone and looked up at him. "What do you mean, Takeshi?" she asked. She didn't want to ask for his help – this was too important to leave to anyone else.

"Don't look at me as if I've got it wrong," he said with a smile. "You've been staring at that phone for days with that look at says you're studying something you're not fully getting. You didn't even pay attention to the game today," he added and if it hadn't been Takeshi she was sure he would have pouted.

She huffed. "Of course, I understand it! And I paid attention, of course I did!"

"No, you didn't and no you don't," he laughed and reached out for the phone. "What are you even reading?"

Haru stuck her tongue out at him and said "none of your business!" before pulling it out of his reach.

"Come on," he laughed and put a hand on her shoulder for better offset. "Maybe I can be of some help to you." His arms were longer than hers and he was leaning over her, too close, too close!

"But I don't want help understanding this! It's an existentialistic crisis and –eeeek!"

He'd leaned too much on her and pushed her off her seat. His hands were wrapping themselves around her head protectively and she was pulled tightly against him before they hit the ground. It still hurt, but she had a feeling his fingers would be hurt, scraped against the hard stone beneath them. She had dropped the phone, but at least she was unscathed.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, but the only thing she was able to see was his collarbone. His chin was resting on top of her head and her hands were clenched in the sweater he wore over his dress shirt. The ground beneath them was icy cold and she wanted nothing more than to get away from there. It wasn't the cold that made her so desperate to get away, though. He was lying on top of her! This was really, really dangerous! Not for the usual reasons, but her brain stuttered and she couldn't -! She felt him shift the slightest and her body exploded in those flames that always erupted from where he touched her. This was too much.

"You okay?" she felt more than heard him ask.

"I'm fine," she sighed. At least she wasn't hurt. "You didn't have to jump to my rescue like that."

His chuckle shook against her chest and her cheeks heated. "It was half reflex and half because I lost my balance myself," he admitted, but one of his hands moved from under her head and rested on her upper arm, holding her to him. Her brain exploded.

"Still," she whispered and closed her eyes for a moment. She tried to focus on something else and found that he was warm and she hadn't realised how big his hands were. It felt safe there, as always. She was sure she could melt into his embrace if she allowed herself the pleasure. But those were dangerous thoughts too.

"So," he said and she could hear him grinning. "Now that I've got you caught here. What is it that's bothering you? I know, Tsuna spoke to you about something..."

She stayed silent for a long moment and then spoke up. Her brain mused that she'd have run away from this conversation in any other situation. "Do you think I depend on you too much?" her voice was barely on the volume of a whisper, but he heard her clearly. "You're always advising me and protecting me... All us girls, we're the same that way. We can't help at all..."

This time it was his turn to stay silent. When he spoke up, his voice wasn't anything but a mumble and she could feel his jaw working against her skull. "You're all something we want to protect, like we want to protect the rest of the Family. One day I'll depend on you to have my back too; in the form of a plan that will save my life. That's the way you'll help. Until you can pull your own load and as long as you work hard to get there you're allowed to rely on others."

Her fingers clenched in the fabric of his shirt as he spoke and she felt his hand pulling through her hair. Oh, that was such a sweet but cruel gesture - especially since she was so painfully aware of where his body touched hers. Why wasn't he doing anything?! This wasn't decent behaviour at all! On the other hand, her mind reminded her, Takeshi was anything but decent when it came to these things. Pervert! "How can you deal with the killings?"

He sighed and the stroking stopped. "I deal by not losing respect for myself or the people around me. I won't lose my way and I believe the kills have meaning. It's to protect my family," he told her. "I guess Tsuna spoke to you about taking responsibility as a strategist and not just treating it like a game?"

She nodded and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. "I'm sorry he's so harsh on you," he half-laughed, "but he knows us all well and uses the best method to make us think."

His fingers were drawing small patterns on her upper arm. "Thank you," she whispered. "For always being there."

"You're welcome, Haru," he said. His voice was so warm and welcoming and he said her name in that way that made her heart flutter. It was totally unfair!

"Will you let go of me now?"

"Never!" he swore theatrically and they laughed. He didn't relinquish his grip, though.

"Seriously, Takeshi!" she whined. _Find good excuses, now!_ "If Hibari finds us here, he'll kill us both for inappropriate behaviour on school grounds! And if he doesn't it's still really cold! I'm freezing and we'll both catch a cold."

Yamamoto's hold loosened and he removed himself from her, taking his warmth with him. It was the beginning of march, but it was still cold and Haru's teeth clattered. He grabbed her phone and helped her stand. "So, what were you reading?"

"Vongola Primo's grimoirs," she said. "I needed an answer, but his is the same as yours; to protect those we love we'll carry any load, but we must never lose our way."

He nodded. "That is what it means to be part of Vongola," he said. "Now we just need to cleanse it so it becomes pure again."

She beamed at him. "I know Tsuna will do that," she said confidently and he grinned.

* * *

"I read about Daemon Spade and Elena today," she said a few days later as she stared out the window in Tsuna's family's living room. His parents weren't home and she'd promised to have a look at Vongola' economy together with Gokudera as Tsuna didn't feel comfortable with math - even if he was doing all the work, and didn't really have to be unsure of himself; he was doing it perfectly.

Both boys stiffened and looked up from their papers. "Why were you reading about that traitor?" Gokudera growled.

She ignored him and turned to face Tsuna instead. He was smiling a small but encouraging smile. "I don't think he was really a traitor," she said. "I think he was so blinded by sadness that he lost his way."

Decimo nodded in agreement. "Love is something we can only afford if we can sacrifice it for the sake of the mafia," he told her, "another warning to you."

She hummed at that and glanced at Reborn. "No matter what I may eventually have to choose to sacrifice my emotions for the good of the Family, but -" and here she smiled smugly -" aren't you the same that way?"

Tsuna's face heated and he started stuttering an excuse. "She's right, No-Good Tsuna," Reborn said before landing a kick on his student's cheek sending him into the floor.

"Reborn!" the mafia boss exclaimed, indignant. "What'd you do that for?!"

"You get distracted and let your guard down when you're flustered," the infant explained. "Don't do that. Now," and before Tsuna could object he jumped onto the table and faced Haru, "I take it this has to do with your answer to Tsuna's question?"

She nodded. "Here it is," she inhaled dramatically and met Tsuna's gaze as he sat up again. Then she relaxed and started speaking. "I was uncertain whether being with those I care about was enough reason, but someone helped me understand that in respect for those lives I am guilty of taking I need to never lose my way and I have to never plan more killings than is necessary. I cannot hope to know what is right and wrong in this world, and from now on, I will still stop to hesitate. But I know that the present moment with everyone I love is important so I will fulfil what I want to do. And I pray that I will not regret it and hope that it is the same for you."

This last thing she said with a smile, holding Tsuna's gaze. "You are our boss after all and you carry all of our loads."

"Are you sure this is enough answer for you, idiot woman?" Gokudera spoke up. "You, who think too much and cry too easily. It's an irrational answer and -"

"It's fine," Tsuna said. "It's perfectly Haru and I hope the others will find suitable answers themselves."

"Tsuna gave an irrational answer too, when Primo tested him," Reborn said and Gokudera immediately started apologising. "And Gokudera's will be questioned many times."

"I don't care," the Storm guardian said, voice turning vehement. "I will follow the Tenth anywhere as his right hand man, even if he leads me astray!"

"Then let's hope I won't be led astray," Tsuna laughed nervously. Then he turned back to Haru. "I trust you to talk to people when you have too big loads on your mind. I know that you have a habit of keeping things to yourself, I've seen it a few times, but it's easier to stick to the path if you walk with someone."

"Don't worry," she said. "I have someone to lean on if the load becomes too heavy."

"Good," he spoke and suddenly grew solemn. These words needed to be spoken.

"Miura Haru."

"Hahi! Yes?"

"I have accepted your answer," he spoke formally. "You are indeed capable of serving Vongola and I look forward to working with you from now on."

* * *

Alright. I've had to change this AN so it's actually more of an answer to a review – maybe some of you have had the same thoughts, so I figure it's okay to bring it up.

Yes, I'm sure some of you feminists out (I'm a girl btw so don't assume that I don't know where you're coming from) there are taking offence to the way I'm writing this story. I'd like to say two things; the first being that, no, the female characters aren't as badass as the male in this story. They aren't in the real story either. So yes, it will come off as pretty sexist HOWEVER! As Yamamoto puts it sometime in this chapter: the girls may not be doing any fighting or killing – except for Chrome – but they have other ways of serving the mafia which IS OFTEN A LOT BETTER THAN JUST KICKING ASS! Also I have done a lot of research on mafia society before writing these stories of mine and the way the girls are treated in my stories are not at all sexist when compared to the real world.

SECONDLY! Do not speak to an author like that. I am making my own interpretations and I write the stories _**I**_ want to tell. If you don't agree with me that's your problem. Now PLEASE consider more things before commenting. THANK YOU.

**On another note**. As I take my time running through this again and reading all the other wonderful reviews I feel a little sorry for ranting. However, I do not have patience for people ordering me around. My stories, even when fanfics, are my babies and only my beta writers have a say - they are luckily smart enough to realize what universe I am writing in thank you very much, as a wonderful reviewer has also said. "I like how it's so accurate to how mafia stuff really was (I studied it, lol)." thank you to Skyfaery for that, it really cheered me up.

This chapter is a little shorter than this rest and the next will be just as short. HOWEVER the one after that is 5k so I do believe I have made up for it. I could not just cut scenes half way you see xD and this story was written without chapters in the beginning.

- Pen


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4; the rain starts, the sea level rises, and faith becomes a burden**

* * *

That had been the start shot Reborn needed, apparently, and he started testing her in several forms of strategic planning, started playing chess and other complicated games with her and even requested that Shouichi re-invented Choice so she could play against him and other intelligent opponents. It booked her schedule to such an extent that by the last Saturday in March Haru was sure she'd die from stress. She'd somehow managed to keep her place as second in her year as well as continually impressing Reborn.

Then… as the end of March rolled by the workload lessened and she could sigh with relief. It wasn't until later she learned that Tsuna had stepped up and made Reborn take it easy on her. He'd, apparently, argued that she wouldn't be working for Vongola until after university and it was no use tiring her out now. Kyoko said she'd never seen him so furious over something Reborn had done before.

"It's a good thing he's on our side, huh?" she giggled over the phone.

"M-hm," Haru agreed and rolled over on the bed. "I'm just happy he lessened my work load. I was suffocating. I'd like my brain functioning if I'm to keep them alive out there."

"Hm…" Kyoko hummed. "Maybe you should ally yourself with Sho-chan and Lal from CEDEF. They were pretty awesome in the future after all."

"As if I'm not spending time enough with Shouichi over the internet as it is," Haru sighed. "I'll ask him, though, I don't want to push my work on his shoulders – it's not his job. And Lal was just scary!"

Later when she spoke to Shouichi over the messaging system he'd added to Choice, he agreed to help her if she needed advice, but that she'd have plenty of people working under and with her when it got serious.

_What'd she call me?_ he also asked and she giggled at how horrified he must have been.

'_Sho- chan', like a certain white haired lover of twisted entertainment and marsh-mellows_, she clarified.

_Ugh. I hope Tsuna doesn't start too. This is giving me a stomach ache._

There was a knock on her door and her father entered. The plumb man smiled kindly at her. "A young man is here to see you," he said. "He said something about not spending the holidays indoors and I have to agree with him."

She nodded quickly typed that she would be back in the evening, receiving a message saying to treat Yamamoto kindly. Her cheeks heated and she scowled at the laptop before turning it off. Then she grabbed her jacket and hurried after her father.

Down by the entrance Yamamoto was standing, smile in place and baseball bat over his shoulder. She faltered on the stairs and glared at him. "No."

He grinned back. "Yes."

"Yamamoto, I sucked at it last time and I won't be doing any better now," she insisted and he laughed.

"That's the fun of it," he clarified. "Besides you've been cooped up with all that homework for so long. It's time you moved around a little." With that he turned to her father. "Thank you for letting me spirit her away once again, Miura-sensei."

Her father smiled. "Thank you for treating my Haru so well, Yamamoto-kun," he said in return.

Haru sighed and scratched the back of her head. Watching the two men bow to each other in respect, she realized that they'd turned against her and that she had been utterly defeated. Jumping down the last few steps she grabbed Yamamoto by the hand and dragged him out the door. "See you later, dad!" she called over her shoulder before the door closed behind them.

When out of sight of the house she poked him in the rib. "Don't you dare start treating me like a baby too," she hissed.

His grip on her hand changed a little and she was suddenly aware that their fingers were intertwined. "Of course not," he laughed and then grinned down at her slightly red face. "'Yamamoto'?" he added with an afterthought and the glint in his eyes told her he was about to tease or annoy her. "I thought we had an agreement."

"Well… it's my father and – and –" _…it seems so intimate to call you Takeshi in front of people, who do not expect our relationship to be more than-_ Even in her mind her thoughts faltered. What were they?

"And what?" he said, giving their hands a squeeze and pulling her a little closer to his side.

Her face grew hot and she was sure all the water on her face evaporated in a small cloud of steam. He laughed at her embarrassment. "Yamamoto is terrible," she declared in theatrical infuriation. "And Haru will never use his given name again!"

To this he started laughing so hard he had to lean on her for support making her pout in indignation, muttering that it was not funny and he was embarrassing her.

"Of course I'm embarrassing you," he said, hand on her neck and nose against her ear. They'd stopped and he was using that particular voice that told her he'd let his walls down again. She wondered if she'd be able to see that look in his eyes again if she had his face in front of her, but she was too busy trying not to hyperventilate or shudder at the feel of his breath on her neck to do anything about it. "The whole point was to make you blush after all."

"Hahi?" she whispered and closed her eyes. Too intense. It was like he was enveloping her with emotions she wasn't certain she was ready to feel. Was this storm going on constantly inside of him and was that why he was keeping it behind locked doors? He lifted his head a little and she felt him press a kiss to her hair. "_La mia bella primavera._"

A part of her brain jumped to translate the Italian (he'd been the best in their group (except from Gokudera) at the language since they started high school, funnily enough when he was bad at every other subject), but another part of her braced herself at the possessiveness in his tone and use of words. She wasn't sure whether to allow it to happen, because she wanted nothing more than to –

Suddenly he stepped back and pulled her out of her reverie. His grin was back in place, though slightly apologetic. It pissed her off so much she wanted to smack him. "Sorry, Har-"

"Stop! Right there!" she snapped and glared up at him. "Do you know how annoying that is?! One moment you're all smiley and teasing and closed off and then you – you – you open the dams and it's just so intense!"

His apologetic smile stayed. "And it's making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes!" she hesitated for a moment when she saw the expression in his eyes. "I mean no! Not for the reason you might think!" Her cheeks heated as it dawned on her that they were talking about those things, the things she wasn't really ready to talk to him about. She liked the way they were. It didn't need a label. "I'm just… afraid of drowning," she added with a sigh and looked down.

His knuckles gently grazed her cheek before both hands settled on her upper arms. "Haru, I'm sorry for being so intense," he said. "That's why I have walls and dams as you call them. I'll keep them –"

"No," she quickly interrupted and looked up at him. "Please. I don't mind that side of you and someday… someday I want to see a smile on your face that isn't a shield used to protect people from yourself." Her hands lifted and she touched his cheeks. "Besides… it's flattering in its own way. And ... I like the invisible marks from your touch, your calm laughter and intense gaze. It leaves me light yet heavy, and happy yet sad to be viewed the way you look at me, but...

"It's so intense. What you're feeling, what I'm feeling and what you make me feel and it's like it's overflowing. I'd like nothing more than to be enveloped by those feelings," here she blushed even harder. He was looking at her with wondering eyes, as if he was trying to figure something out. It was embarrassing really. Girls and experts spoke of possessive boyfriends as a problem, but they never thought it could be the other way around. Wanting to be branded in such a way that he would completely occupy and monopolise every single one of your thoughts... A protective barrier – something to erase every bad emotion and experience. "But if I let that happen I don't think I can function in this society," she sighed. "So please. Bear with me and don't be too forward."

A smile she had never seen on his face before suddenly appeared. It wasn't his usual big grin or automatically-there-to-ease-everyone-else smile, but a small one that only curved slightly and shone mainly from his eyes. She'd never seen so gentle adoration on anyone's face before and it made her breath hitch and world spin, the only thing holding her in place being the hands resting over hers on his cheeks. He took both of her hands in his and shifted one so he could kiss its fingers. "I promise," he said. "But... I can't promise that I won't stop doing that once in a while."

She looked at him confusedly, but he just pulled her along with an "I'll explain later, we still need to play some baseball."

With that he grabbed her hand, laced their fingers, and pulled her off, laughing at her sudden scowl. It didn't matter, though, she figured and joined in his laughter.

A few hours later after many tries and errors and much laughter – mainly from Yamamoto – Haru finally blew up and threw the bat down. "Hey!" Yamamoto exclaimed and entered the practice field. "That's my favourite bat!"

"Oh," she felt bad immediately. "I'm sorry," she muttered and watched him pick it up. He treated it with care and held it up for a moment, holding it as if he was about to hit a ball before letting his arms fall. "I'm no good after all. I don't even treat it well."

His arm slung around her shoulder and he smiled down at her. "You're just not doing it right," he told her. She slumped against his chest, trusting him to keep her standing. He shifted against her.

"Ugh, and you're telling me this now?!" she complained, hiding her face in her hands.

His laugh vibrated against her back. "Sorry, but it's been funny to watch."

"Why you -?!"

"Here," he interrupted and lifted her hands. "I'll show you how to hold it and how to swing," he said, his chin resting on her shoulder, hair brushing against her ear. She sucked in a breath.

He showed her how to hold the bat and made her imitate the movements, adjusted her grip and swung the bat to make her feel the way it was done. "See?" she nodded and expected him to step back and let her try herself, but instead he shifted a little closer. "Now the hit is a little different. Ready?"

"Yeah," she said and heard the beep of the machine warning for a shot. The ball rolled out and he lifted he bat. Her hands felt awfully awkward and her brain protested making her movements stained and work against his. The ball was shot in their direction and she forced herself to keep her eyes open and her arms to be relaxed. When he moved it was fast and forceful, and she got a first-hand experience when it came to how strong – powerful – he actually was. The ball connected and an unfamiliar _clang!_ followed, making her blink in surprise.

"Did it hit?" she finally asked.

"Yup," he said and she knew he was grinning. "Good job, Haru."

Had she not been so excited about the fact that she had hit the target she would have pouted and pointed out that he had done most of the job. Instead she twisted in his grip and threw her arms around his neck. "I never thought I'd hit!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes and savouring the smell of grass and earth that washed over her. "Thank you, Takeshi!"

This time she allowed herself to melt into his embrace and his arms tightened around her. This, more than anything, felt like home and a small part of her mind berated her for acting like a heroine of a shoujo manga. But it didn't matter; the man she was in love with was holding her like he was never letting go and she wanted nothing more than to stay there forever. In this sunny weather there was no mafia to worry them and no one to pull them apart. The icy fire was licking at her insides and she almost felt like purring.

But, of course, it had to come to an end and he eventually pulled away.

"Come," he said and tugged at her hand. Had he decided on something unexpected? "I need to speak with you about something."

She followed him, curious and slightly worried over his tone of voice. "Is everything alright?" she required knowing. "Is this the reason for your unexpected visit this morning?"

He didn't answer immediately, but when he did it was nothing but a nod. The slowly building knot of worry in her chest grew. What was happening? Something serious…

He stopped in front of a vending machine and plopped coins in for a small carton of milk and a can of hot tea. Handing her both he started off again and it wasn't until they were sitting on the bleachers, as had happened so many times before, that he started speaking. "I'm going to Italy once the holiday is over," was the first words out of his mouth and her heart plummeted.

"How… how long?" the world was spinning, as if she'd already lost his presence. Was she really that dependant?

"Not too long," his hand brushed her forehead, pulling the hair out of her eyes. "Two weeks, only."

Her head shot up and she looked at him in surprise. A grin was slowly breaking out on her face and she couldn't help hitting him. "Don't worry me like that," she chided. "I thought you'd be gone for a year, or something." When he stayed silent she continued. "So what is it? A job? It seems like it's a pretty long one, Tsuna doesn't usually-"

"Haru," he sighed. The quiet, serious, tone of his voice told her that this was serious and it shut her up immediately. "It's a request from Squalo."

Silence stretched in the air as her mind connected the dots and her world started tilting again. "Varia?" she whispered, terrified. "But that means…" he usually took on dangerous jobs, but this one… "You don't answer to anyone but Tsuna." The desperate words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and … when had her hand started clinging to his shirt?!

"Squalo is my teacher," he reminded her, voice gentle. She'd understand eventually, he knew, but right now he had to be patient with her. He didn't mind.

"No. Your father is your teacher-!"

"My father taught me the Art," he said, "Squalo taught me how to kill. I owe him too much to refuse this request." Her large frightened eyes removed themselves from his face and she let go of his hand. Slowly she rose, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. "Haru?" He was after her in a second, seriously worried about her now. "You have to trust that I'll –"

"Come back!" she pushed his arm, which had tried to grab hers, away and spun to face him, no tears on her face – as he'd otherwise expected. "No matter what. Come back."

He couldn't help it. This girl was too much! The laughter bubbled on reflex up his throat and out his mouth. It really wasn't nice to laugh in these situations, but really… "Takeshi!" oh, when she used that name and used that tone he had to take her seriously. "This isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry," he said and scooped her up in an embrace. She was so small and soft and her girly forms moulded perfectly against his body. "Of course, I'll come back."

"Then promise me," she insisted, closing her eyes and resting her forehead in his chest. He was warm, as always. "We'll meet here, on this time, two weeks from the day you take off!"

He knew it was a bad idea as soon as the words registered, but he'd just have to tell Tsuna about this. If something happened she wouldn't be waiting, as he expected she would, until he arrived. Even if he died he wouldn't let anything happen to her if he could prevent it. "I promise," he said, hand running through her silky locks. "And when I get back we'll have a talk."

* * *

He was late...

... It'd started raining...

... this was a bad sign.

It'd also gotten dark. Where was he?! Was he alright? Was he safe? In a coma? Cut to pieces in some Italian street. No... Tsuna would have told her... Or at least come to get her.

He had probably just missed his flight. He'd be there soon. He'd promised after all and Yamamoto never broke his promises. He'd kept Reborn's secret in such a calm way.

It'd only been a few days since the cold had vanished, and she still wasn't feeling well. She was sure she'd get into an argument with Gokudera over this later. After all; what good was she to anyone if she caught a serious cold, and how stupid could she be to stay out in the rain for hours on end?! Her giggle turned into a cough and she shivered. In a way he would have been a terrific older brother – even if he was the youngest in his family – so she guessed he was the perfect right hand man to the Don of this exclusive family.

Her cell phone beeped and went out. What time had it even been? Now no one would get to her if something had happened. Was this ok? Her father was away on a conference so unless Takeshi had told anyone-

The world blurred and she stumbled. It was stupid to say any longer, she figured, but instead of moving from her spot she sat down on the bench. She breathed heavily and clenched her eyes shut to concentrate on her remaining energy. She should have brought a rain coat or an umbrella, but the sun had been out a few hours ago and there'd been no sign of rain. It hadn't been so cold in a long while either.

So cold…

This was a bad idea. Something had happened. She was sure of it. He hadn't been able to keep his promise, after all. This was the price of loving someone who risked their life every time they walked out their front door and she would have to deal with that, though she knew it wouldn't be possible to be this close to a person ever again. Not for her.

She forced her eyes open and stared through the rain. Everything was so dark. The rain was falling harsher, colder. It was as if it was running through her, freezing her, and she was growing numb.

The world blurred again and she squeezed her eyes shut. The world was closing in on her and her breathing was becoming shallow.

Her mind told her she should be going home, that this had gone too far, and that it was all for nothing, but her muscles wouldn't budge, she couldn't move, and her mind was going numb.

The sound of running steps must have been one of her mind's last observations as she lost consciousness.

* * *

Sorry guys :D but I'mma cut it short here. Buwahahahahhaha!

My angsting has gotten smaller and I'm in a good mood! Maybe it's because I got the first review on the day I am betaing this (the prologue is only out so far). It was from a guest on calling him-/herself A Midsummer. It ended with this pretty awesome quote:

"_First time I had read something from Yamamoto's point of view. Very refreshing_. **There is only so much Tuna and Clams I could swallow before becoming sick while the Skylark hardly shows itself.**_**"**_

I love the last part and it shall remain a favourite quote of mine for a very long time. Thank you, I hope you are still reading this and that, though not everything is Takeshi's pov, you are still enjoying this.

To everyone else! Thank you for reading and reviewing! It brightens my grey days considerably!

See you next week!

- Pen


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5; finally the river is freed and the water can run forward once more**

* * *

He caught her as she fell from the bleaches, her sticky hair draping over his hands as his fingers dug into her cold clothes. What an idiot. She should have gone home; he'd been by there when he finally got back to Namimori – now, of course, he saw his mistake. She'd been too hell-bend on that promise.

She was too stubborn, really.

He allowed a hand to run over her cheek and he frowned at the chill of her skin. He should have come here immediately. This stupid girl, always worrying him like this. Tsuna had said her phone hadn't answered, it was probably drowned and he'd have to get her a new one - preferably with his number on speed dial.

Shifting her in his arms he hurried out of the rain, away from the bleachers. The first place with something overhead was the entrance and he stopped in front of the doors, leaning her against the wall. Glancing out at the rain he wished that the Rain Guardian could also remove the rain and not just create it – Vongola was not that powerful, unfortunately. Then he turned back to the girl and peeled off her jacket, not a very good one for this weather.

"I can practically wring it like a piece of cloth and a waterfall appears," he told her. "What were you thinking, Haru?"

No answer, of course, and he sighed. He had to get her home, warm, before she got really sick. Pulling out his phone he called Tsuna.

"Did you find her?" the mafioso's voice immediately rung through.

"Of course," Yamamoto sighed, letting his voice come out in a serious tone – thereby letting his boss know something bad had happened. Silence answered him and he knew he was asked to continue. "She's unconscious, too cold, as well."

Tsuna cursed. "She's too stubborn," he declared. "Don't make such promises again."

A grin spread across Yamamoto's face, he couldn't help it. "Yes, sir."

"I'll have a car pick you up in five minutes," Decimo continued. "The school entrance, am I right?"

"Of course," Yamamoto answered. "Could you possibly have Bianchi meet us at my house? I'll need her help getting Haru out of all these clothes." He'd have asked for Kyoko had it been any other situation, but right now the girl would be too frightened for her best friend.

"She'll be angry with you," Tsuna warned, but complied.

Four minutes later a sleek black vehicle rolled up at the school gates. He had put the phone in his pocket, opened his jacket and pulled her against him for body heat. It'd worked to a certain degree, but he knew the most important thing at the moment was to get her into some clean clothes.

A door opened at the same time as he rose and a woman stepped out, umbrella in hand. She'd pulled her hood up to shield herself from the rain, but he was sure it was Bianchi. When she spotted them she hurried through the gates and up the path to the entrance. She soundlessly handed him the umbrella and mentioned for him to follow her.

It wasn't until he'd put Haru down inside the car and gotten in himself that Bianchi started speaking. She was already putting on her seatbelt and telling the driver where to go. "I expect you to stick to her like glue over the next couple of days – until she's recovered," she instructed. "Tsuna may not be angry about this, but I certainly am. What were you thinking, making a promise like that?!"

His insides chilled and he had to remind himself that she just cared for the girl in his arms. Instead of showing his annoyance he gave his usual laugh. "I guess we didn't think that it might rain."

"Are you an idiot?! And how can you laugh so happily when she's practically dead?!"

_I'm so worried I can hardly keep my emotions in check_. Nono had insisted on inspecting his abilities before he went home, wanting to see how the child that Reborn praised so much faired and so he had been late to his flight. It didn't help that it was a private jet, he was still late and he would never forgive the former boss for that.

He also, almost, had the urge to kick Squalo's ass – again - for pulling him away from her in the first place. But, on the other hand, this was something they both had to get used to. This world was not one you lived happily in with no separation or sacrifice, and he knew that. It didn't mean, though, that this wasn't a part he would never get used to, but also a part that he had yet to learn to deal with. He'd just have to make sure that people knew anyone who touched her would pay a heavy price, so he could take off on his jobs with no problems.

The car stopped and Bianchi opened the door. "Come on, we're here," she said, her voice a little gentler than before. Good, then it'd be easier to keep his mask. What was it with these siblings that ticked him off in the direst situations?

His father had been gone since before he had taken off to Italy, having been suddenly called on to serve dinner for a certain boss of the Chavallone family, who was visiting Tokyo on extended business related business – courtesy of Tsuna. This meant that there were no questions asked (not that his father would have done more than raise an eyebrow) and room to speak more freely. He left the two in the bathroom and went to find towels and a clean pair of clothes for Haru.

He knocked on the door once and left the clothes there, before walking back into the kitchen to have a short conference with Tsuna.

This time the immediate answer to the phone was much different. He immediately asked for a report on the Varia case and Yamamoto heard rustling of paper, a faint "hey!" from Lambo who'd probably been kicked out of the room, as Tsuna always did when he started working. It'd have made Yamamoto chuckle under any other circumstances; Tsuna had truly embraced the work Nono had left him, which had horrified him so much only a few years earlier.

When Yamamoto had finished reporting he heard Tsuna sigh. "This could become problematic in time," he confessed. "The Assassination Squad has a bad habit of being too aggressive and this is one of the cases. I wish Xanxus had consulted in me first. You did a good job in keeping the killing to a minimum, though. Thank you, Yamamoto."

"I figured you'd want me to use that method," Yamamoto said merrily as the door opened. "Bianchi is done helping Haru so I'll be off. Sorry for cutting it short, Tsuna."

"It's ok," came the answer, "keep me posted on her condition."

"Will do. Try not to worry too much and get some sleep tonight."

A groan reached his ears and he chuckled before turning off the phone.

"She's awake, but weak," Bianchi informed him. "She's sitting against the bathroom wall. I'm not strong enough to lift her so I'm leaving the rest to you."

With that she brushed past him, probably too upset to scold him anymore. He didn't see her off. Instead he made a beeline for the bathroom. The lights were turned on and she was sitting, as Bianchi had said, against the wall. Her legs, covered in a pair of his old sleeping pants, stretched out before her. Her hands were lying in her lap and she was looking down at them, eyes unclear. She looked incredibly small, sitting there all pale and ill. It didn't help that she was wearing several big sweaters, all too big for her.

Slowly so as to not surprise her he entered the room. She didn't look at him, but her head lifted a little and her fingers twitched. "Haru," he sighed and knelt beside her, checking her temperature. She was burning up.

"I'm cold," she whimpered in a croaked voice and a tear rolled down her cheek. "So cold."

Reaching out he let his hand rest under her knees and her armpit, and lifted her from the floor. Slowly she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, crying silently against his shoulder. "You need to get some sleep," he muttered and adjusted his hold on her. Too small, too cold, too not Haru. His hold on her tightened as he tried to control his emotions.

The only indication that she'd heard him was a small dip of her head as he exited the bathroom. He walked a little further down the hallway and entered his dark room. It suited him just fine to have it stay that way. Pushing the covers away he placed her on his bed. Her eyes were already dropping as he slipped the blankets back over her, but when he made to step away they opened immediately.

"Jirou will stay by your side," he told her and let a hand slide over her cheek. It was hot, but he felt the clammy tell-tale of cold sweat there too. "He'll tell me if something happens."

"Where will you be?" she asked while he turned the heater up a few notches.

"In my father's bedroom," he said, smiling wryly. "It's that or the couch and I'd rather not wake up with a hurting neck tomorrow."

Her voice was dropping again. "Stay," she whispered. "I'm… freezing. Warm me."

He couldn't help the grin that crossed his face. "You won't need my help with all those layers," he protested gently. It really wasn't a good idea, the rational part of his mind claimed. But there was another part that reminded him that this was partly his fault and he should do anything to make her comfortable.

"Don't care."

He sighed. Could he really resist her? "Fine, but I need to lock up first," he told her. "And change out of these clothes."

"Mm."

When he got back she was still awake, though her eyes were closed. He'd turned off most of the light in the apartment and so he had to rely on other senses to get to his closet, take of his clothes and dress in a pair of sleeping pants.

As he slipped under the covers and gingerly pulled Haru against him, the soft fabric of his own sweaters scratching against his bare chest, he suddenly felt the heaviness of sleep cloud his mind. It'd been a while since he had slept himself, a few days probably. Right then it seemed too long and he yawned. Haru curled up against him and he pulled a hand through her messy but dry hair, tucking her heard under his chin.

He hoped she didn't get too sick, but was pretty sure he'd still have to give Shamal a call the following day. Hopefully the womaniser was still in Japan. Gokudera would know.

It took a while before her breathing slowed, but as she curled a little closer he allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of holding her once more before falling asleep himself.

* * *

Everything was fuzzy and her eyelids were heavy. Was it already time for school? Cracking an eye open the room swam before her and she cringed, shutting it again. It had also been disorienting and why had the light come from a different direction than usually? Was she lying in some weird position?

The phone sounded again and she made her arm slide up the mattress to find it. Flipping it open she heard a voice on the other end breathe out a "finally" and realised that it wasn't the alarm clock.

"Tsuna?" she asked, her voice stained and throat sore. The name came out in a low wheeze voice.

"Morning, Haru," he greeted, sounding cheerful and relieved. "I'm glad to hear you're still alive. Could you wake Yamamoto for me before going back to bed? I have a feeling he's right beside you."

Had she been feeling better she would have exclaimed a "hahi!" and gotten off the bed as quickly as possible. Instead she closed her eyes for a moment and forced her senses to work.

She felt miserable and her mind was hazy, as if she was only half awake. Something was lying against the back of her head and she could feel it breathing on her neck. Strong arms were draped across her waist, grip loosened by sleep, and her knees were pushed to bend by two others. He was there, but sleeping.

Or so she thought. She was about to summon some hidden amount of strength to turn around, but one of his hands lifted and grabbed the phone from her lose grip. "Stay," he told her before addressing Tsuna in a lighter but little louder voice.

The other arm came to life and pulled her a little closer as he spoke and she closed her eyes, trying to relax while he spoke. She could feel the hum of his words against her back. It was relaxing and she almost fell back asleep before he was done. The calm, but happy voice he used whenever addressing others was not the one she liked the most, but it was enough to make her relax. It meant safety, after all. The one she loved the most was the one he used when they were alone; quiet and warm, no forced lilt to the words, just words.

A hand reached over her head and placed the phone back beside her before checking her temperature. "You're hot, I'll have to get the thermometer," he observed and got out of bed. "Kyoko will be over with some clean clothes later," he added as he stepped over her to jump onto the bed. "I've asked for Shamal to get here too, so we can figure out what's wrong."

Haru groaned and hid her head under his pillow. "Not that perverted old man," she whimpered. "Then I'd rather go to a normal doctor."

He chuckled and took away her hiding place. "Boss's orders," he grinned. "If we're lucky he may even be able to cure you immediately. Wouldn't that be great?"

Looking up with her most pathetic, pleading, look (well-practiced, of course) she said "You'll neuter him if he as much as touches me the wrong way, right?"

His grin widened a little. "I'm sorry, Haru, but if I do that he may not live very long afterwards and I think Tsuna would disapprove greatly if I killed his most capable doctor – let alone a member of the Family."

"Whaat?" she whined, drawing out the word. "So you're going to leave me at the mercy of that – that pervert?!"

"Don't worry, Haru," he said as he grabbed some clean clothes from the closet. "I'll look very threatening."

With that he left. "That's not fair at all," she pouted and hid her face under the covers. The feeling of unease was back and she curled up in the warm spot he had left behind and closed her eyes. She wanted to feel better, and quickly.

It was a while before he came back, but when he did it was cleaned, proper clothed and with a tray of delicious smelling food in hands. Setting it down on the coffee table he turned to help her sit up. His gentle hands easily lifted her and placed her back against the wall and she almost doubled over from the nauseating feeling rushing over her.

"Sorry, did I move you too fast?" he asked, hands on her shoulders to keep her steady.

It took her a moment before she was ready to speak. "No. It's ok."

"Okay…" he hesitated and then turned back to the tray. Looking over his shoulder she saw two bowls of okayu and two bowls of miso soup. Other than that there were chopsticks and a glass of painkillers as well as two empty glasses and a bowl of water. Lifting the tray he carefully put it on the bed. "The old man usually cooks this for me when I'm sick… so, I thought it'd be good."

"It smells wonderful," she admitted, but her stomach churned at the prospect of food. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Well," here he laughed nervously. "Dad always throws me out of the restaurant before I can touch his tools, but I've grown up in our family kitchen so I guess I'm alright…"

"He does have a reputation as the best sushi chef in Japan," she reminded him as he handed her the bowls on a smaller tray. "But, Takeshi, I'm not so sure I feel like eating anything right now. I'm afraid I'll throw up."

His hand came to caress the top of her head and he smiled at her gently. "I know. Take your time. A little food is better than nothing and I'll get the wash-up bowl from the kitchen if you feel nauseous."

She nodded numbly and accepted the food.

* * *

"It's definitely pneumonia," Shamal declared not too many hours later. It'd turned out Tsuna had woken them in the early afternoon so the day was almost over by the tame the doctor finally arrived. "What were you doing out in that rain, young lady?"

"Tha-that's none of your business!" she snapped and crossed her arms.

An elegant eyebrow shot up on Shamal's face and he glanced up at Yamamoto, who just shrugged and smiled apologetically. "I'll have Tsuna order you some penicillin and warn your school that you'll be absent for the next eleven days. If you're not feeling well after taking them all, call me again."

"Thank you," Yamamoto expressed and bowed in respect. "And sorry for the inconvenience."

"Nonsense, as long as it's a girl – or Tenth's orders – I don't mind at all," the Mafioso said, waving his hand dismissively. He shot a smile Haru's way. "Now, get better, Miura. Women are prettiest when happy."

She scowled at him. "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly happy!"

"No, you're not," he answered, suddenly sobered. "Something's hanging on your mind that you still haven't talked to anyone about. Not even your little boyfriend here."

Both teens started and blushed, left stuttering a reply that never reached the doctor's ears as he had already left. It was very important to have the last word, even if it was to a girl – not that it mattered when she'd been touched by another man. What a pity.

As he put on his shoes another bright lady crossed his path – another one he could not touch. Kyoko had tentatively opened the door, a sports bag in one hand and a smaller plastic bag, probably with notes, in the other. She smiled sunnily at the elder doctor and greeted him respectfully before asking to her friend's health.

"She'll get better," Shamal answered. If not in heart then at least in body. He just hoped she'd open her heart fully to the young man before it froze over with pain. Whatever had happened it had happened not too long ago… "Now, if you'll excuse me."

With that he vanished out the door and Kyoko shrugged it off, heading for Yamamoto's bedroom. "I'm sorry to barge in," she said as she stepped through the door. "But I see that Dr Shamal has just been here."

The two looked the same, she observed and started speaking mainly to Haru. Yamamoto excused himself eventually so the sick girl could get changed to some of her own clothes. The Sun Guardian's sister observed quite quickly how frail Haru looked – she had trouble speaking and she was very pale. It worried her, but since Tsuna would have the medicine for her tomorrow it would go over with no problem.

Haru spent the next few days sleeping the most of the days away and trying to do homework – until Takeshi came back home and took it away, claiming that she'd only hurt herself if she did that while sick. She concurred quite easily, but pouting. After the first night he'd taken a futon from his father's bed and put it on the floor. There he slept so as to not be too far from her, but not too close to her either. It was a good combination.

The days passed in peace and sleep, but something kept nagging at the both of them though none spoke of it. Shamal's words hung over the house like a curse, between them like a problem and in their minds like a needle pricking at their skins. Haru had thought about it since it'd happen and she knew he was waiting for her to open her mouth. He'd waited for it for months, had known that it'd been a heavy load on her shoulders. Something that made her smiles less bright, when they were the real deal, and her mask something she forgot to keep clean and proper, or to use it in general. With Shamal's words the topic had been brought to their attention again and she thought more about it.

It wasn't until Saturday evening after everyone had left that she started speaking. Everyone had been there to study and check in on their sick friend. She was doing better by then and was up for more of the day. She'd tried to talk him into letting her borrow the couch or lie on the floor, but he insisted. That didn't mean she wasn't persistent, which was why he did not suspect the right thing when she spoke up.

"Come here," she said that evening. She was lying on her back staring up the window.

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to trick me now?" he joked.

"No, no," she insisted and awkwardly patted the free space beside her. "I wasn't really thinking about that. Just..." she trailed off, her voice having already turned distant.

His eyes hardened a little and his smile vanished. "What's wrong?" he asked and sat on the bed, reaching out to check her fever. She was already wearing her pyjamas, but she could be cold.

"Lie down and stare at the rain with me," she said avoiding the topic. She had to admit to herself that she was afraid of talking to him about this. She wasn't sure how he'd react. She knew he was angry and that he'd considered punishing himself. She was grateful that he had not, though she knew there may be another time in the future when...

"Will you teach me to defend myself?" she asked at length. That seemed to startle him.

"What? Why?"

"I'm sorry, I can ask I-pin if you have too much -"

"No, it's fine," he hurriedly interrupted and rolled onto his stomach to look at her. "I just didn't expect that."

"Ugh, turn back around," she said in an annoyed voice.

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid I'll chicken out or start crying. My face is hideous from this illness as it is-" she'd stopped herself, closed her eyes and exhaled. "Please?"

A gentle smile crossed his lips, a smile that made her heart ache. It wasn't fake, not a mask. Why now?! Why when she was about to speak of something that would make him angry?! "I wouldn't see your face if I held you...?"

"Ugh!" she threw his pillow at him. "I'll definitely chicken out if you do that!"

He easily caught it, studied her for a moment and then lay down. "Start talking, please. Why do you want to learn to defend yourself?"

"The easy answer would be a gun," she admitted. "But I don't want that. I'll be responsible for enough murders and killings as it is, but... I'll be a valuable asset to vongola, right? I'd be an easy target and an important one to get rid of."

"That is true," he admitted it, not liking it at all.

"And I'm a vulnerability to you," she added and hurried on before he could speak. "It's impractical to have someone you care about, I know. But it also makes us want to protect. I want to be able to protect my own body. It'd be awfully romantic if I could just rely on my knight in shining armour, but I ..." she trailed off. "Last time I was so scared. I'd only be more scared next time. Because next time it won't be high school kids. It'll be men who want to hurt, know to torture, and ready to kill."

so that was what this was about. "Haru..."

"Because Takeshi is the Guardian of Rain, he should always be calm and tranquil, able to remove any dispute in the family. If you're angry that won't be easy and I want to protect you from anger and emotional conflicts. I know it may be selfish to assume that I'm that precious to you but-"

"You are."

That shut her up for a good moment and she turned to stare at him. "I thought we weren't looking at each other?" he grinned up at her and lifted a hand to brush her blushing cheeks. Why did he have such a weird way of telling her these things?! His eyes twinkled. "You're blushing."

"Of course I am," she huffed and brushed his hand away. "You choose the strangest times to tell me –"

"I know," he muttered and pulled her back down beside him. "Not exactly traditional."

"It's ok," she whispered, and turned her eyes towards the rain again.

She'd thought about it more often than not; what he really felt. It was something she had to deduce on her own with the little he dared show her. What she'd seen the first few times had surprised and frightened her a little, but the intensity of them had enchanted her and she'd allowed her own emotions to blossom under his. Like spring flowers under the rain.

She'd once said that she was afraid of drowning, but maybe she'd already been swallowed by the ocean and the only thing still keeping her breathing was a paper thin barrier, the one he had created by creating that smiling wall on his face. As she fell farther though, she realised that it would eventually shatter and that she wouldn't mind it all that much if it did. Especially with the little holes he kept creating with his sudden words and small confessions that were so different from everything else she'd ever seen or read about.

It hadn't taken her long to guess that he'd been feeling this way even before she'd given up on Tsuna and that had made her sad. But his kindness towards her never faltered and so she would not allow herself to become sad. She'd tell him what his kindness meant to her and she'd open her heart to him; her fears and her joys. It didn't matter if he completely enveloped and monopolized her emotions with his own...

"I'm afraid."

The words caught him off guard and he turned on his side to look at her. This time she did not object, but she didn't look at him either, her brown eyes glued to the rain.

Her mouth worked for a moment before more words came out. "I'm afraid of being left alone if something like that happened again. I'm afraid that something like this will happen again. That I'm forever marked by that… touch… but in a way that's so unlike the way your touch has marked me. I'm afraid I've been maimed and –" tears had started rolling down her cheeks by then and most words were being stuttered out "- and I'm afraid that if you ever choose to touch me more intimately I'll be too maimed by that experience to let it happen. Even if I really care about you. Even if it's Takeshi and it shouldn't matter because - because you're my most precious person -"

He couldn't stand it anymore and pulled her into a tight embrace. The anger towards those idiots was coming back even if she'd said she'd have wanted to remove that anger. "Many rape victims work past these things," he reminded her, his voice gentle. He could feel her tears on his shirt. "And you're not even that bad off. If it turns out that they managed to emotionally harm you we'll heal the wound together no matter how long it takes."

She sobbed his name and clung to his shirt. In hindsight it was pretty pathetic, but at least he never did anything but hold her through those hours.

His hand was moving over her hair, hoping it soothed her. "I know you're frightened and I know, too, that something like this may happen again, which is why I think it's a good idea for you to learn to defend yourself. It'll soothe my worries too, but..." here he trailed off to pull her a little closer. "Haru, you have to trust that I'd never hurt you."

"I know," she answered. "Thank you, Takeshi."

The tension between them vanished, or… a new tension slowly brewed between them.

* * *

Well…. This was an extra long one xD I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is the last. As you'll be able to tell it stops a bit abruptly but as I've been reading some romance novels I think they stop at the proper time. Anyway I was originally going to switch to another pair and continue the story from her e–sigh-

Unfortunately that probably won't happen!

Anyway. I hope this was not a completely stupid conclusion to her problems and fears and I hope you noted the small hints I threw in once in a while (in earlier chapters) – they're quite subtle, though, so you might not have done so.

Anyway thanks for reading and see you some other time.

- Pen


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6; the swallow settles, the flowers rising toward the sky no more**

* * *

Two things changed after that. It seemed that her mask had melted away with the tears and she only showed her emotions afterwards. It worried Tsuna a little as she'd need her mask later on to survive, but it also told him she'd become stronger. He discussed this with Yamanoto and the two decided that she was smart enough to know when to reassemble it into a new one; one she put on for work only. The other thing was the change in the tension between them. It didn't seem like a problem at first so she paid little attention to the change. But it wasn't a tension that could be ignored, it was a feeling of nervousness and anticipation.

She'd expected that telling him exactly what she felt would ease her mind and that hearing him open up a little would help it even more, but it'd had the opposite effect. Not only on her, but on him as well. His walls were down more often, not in the extreme way but she noticed that he looked at her with that light in his eyes more often.

One part of her became really giddy; she knew exactly what it meant and she wanted it too, that physical development. Nothing too serious, but they hadn't even kissed yet and she'd caught herself fantasising about it more often than not, and to the extent that her teacher caught her daydreaming. Another side of her, the one that was decent and followed the rules of society berated her. They'd need to establish what their relationship was exactly and she should make sure that he would not leave her when he'd gotten what he wanted. The last notion was ridiculous of course since he never once asked for anything.

She also had a bit of 'girlfriend'-phobia. She felt it held no meaning at all, the way people ran from boyfriend to boyfriend. Besides, they weren't even dating, their relationship had just developed naturally, which was far better. But the fact that they were neither dating nor in an official relationship worried that part that insisted on caring and that, more than anything made her blurt the question out one Saturday;

"What are we?"

The exams were coming up and she was insisting on going through everything with him, wanting to make sure that he'd pass. High school was getting harsher and everyone knew it. She wasn't going to let anyone of her friends fail. Especially not Takeshi. That didn't mean, though, that their study sessions didn't become intense at times, and as she confided in Kyoko and Hana; she wasn't that surprised. Though they had not been on official dates, had not shared the usual intimacies and had not said the empty words other teenagers used, they'd confided in each other, opened the box and shared their feelings and, though, she'd been pretty sick they had slept in the same bed. It was just a question of time before he made the move to kiss her.

It was easier to study with him than with Gokudera – whom she still studied with on Sundays – mainly because they did not argue and though he found it harder understanding things than Gokudera, she found that she didn't mind or get impatient. The problem was that he was always sitting really close to her. More importantly; right behind her, chin on her shoulder, hand resting so close to her hip he may as well be embracing her. Her cheeks were flaming and her heart stuttering.

The last mentioned was probably what had made her say it in the first place. Stupid brain. Or maybe it had been the next.

"So- so you have to – to insert the numbers representing A, B, and C i-into the d-D formu-la," she stuttered and sucked in a breath as he shifted to scribble on the paper in front of them. Both their fathers had come home by then, but they were currently alone in his room as his father was working late at the restaurant. That didn't help her nerves one bit. Not that they had even kissed yet. Her mind stuttered again.

When he reached up with the other hand to grasp for the eraser her mind blanked and before she knew it she'd blurted out the words. He immediately froze.

"What do you mean?" he asked after a moment, having taken his time to put down the pencil and eraser. He was pretty sure he knew what she meant, but couldn't help teasing her.

"Our..." she hesitated and he noticed from the corner of his eyes that her ones were darting nervously. He knew very well he'd set her on edge the last few weeks and considered the possibility that he'd played the next piece too quickly. When she kept stuttering an incoherent word he finally lost his patience, bowed his head and kissed her bare shoulder, receiving a startled 'hahi!'. Ignoring it he finished her two-worded phrase; "relationship?"

"Eeep! Takeshi what are you doing?" she exclaimed, outraged at his actions.

"You're worried about the form of our relationship, right?" he elaborated, ignoring the exclamation, though cute it was.

The amount of horror on her face tripled and her cheeks reddened. "How did you know?"

"Of course I know," he chuckled, cheek resting on her shoulder now, face turned towards her head, breath making strands of her long hair move, making her barely visible neck slightly viewable behind the curtain. Now, _that_ was a tempting sight. "what do you want us to be?"

His quiet words evidently surprised her for she gaped at him for a long moment. Then she sank something and avoided his gaze. "A part of me just want us to be," she admitted, cheeks flaming. It wasn't going to stop her though. "Because I love what we have. I know we're not as ... Phy-physically intimate as we could be but... but I'm sure it'll come with time!"

His chuckle shook through her and his hand trailed slowly down her back leaving hot yet chilling trails of flames down her spine making her shudder appreciatively. "Sometimes," he said in a voice that beckoned her to meet his eyes. His expression had changed again and the grip on her hip was positively possessive. "I think I'm too patient with you."

"Wha-?"

He might have made her mind and heart stutter but what had followed his words had completely squashed every thought in her head and her heart ached pleasantly in her chest. Warmth, pleasant, homey, warmth spread through her whole body and her toes curled at the sweet kiss. She sensed the passion kept at bay and knew he was being gentle with her on purpose.

That didn't mean that she wasn't suddenly sitting in his lap when he removed his mouth from hers a moment later.

Her mouth was working before she could even open her eyes. No sound came out, however, making him chuckle and kiss her again. It was a short one this time, but his mouth didn't leave her skin, instead it followed a slow path down her cheek to her neck. Her mind had blanked as soon as his lips touched hers, but she stuttered a protest at the wonderful feeling.

"Relax," he muttered against her shoulder. "I'm not going to leave a mark. Can't have our parents questioning what we're doing now can we?"

Her mind seriously blew up this time. Somewhere far away a voice told her he was teasing her, but it was really hard to concentrate. When his mouth started working on hers again she was gently being pulled back to the present. It felt wonderful, she admitted to herself. Suddenly their mouths were open and their tongues meeting and she couldn't help but reach her arms around his neck to hold him closer.

She'd used a little too much force, though, and they tumbled onto the floor. His laughter broke the kiss and she rose to her elbows to look down at him. The sight that met her almost stopped her heart and it certainly made time stand still for a long while. His smile was gentle and full of adoration, and the mask he usually wore was gone. She'd wanted to see this for so long and now she was seeing it and she could barely believe her eyes.

"Your face is red," he commented in a gentle voice, a hand reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Ta-Ta-Ta-," she couldn't even say his full name at the moment. What was wrong with her?! "You-you're…"

"If you're not careful I will have to grin," he warned, his smile already stretching. "And then the mask will be back in place."

Her eyes widened a little and she sobered. "Will I see it again?"

"Of course," he told her solemnly and she sighed in relief, resting her forehead against his. She was grinning like a fool now.

His emotions were like the rain. Unpredictable and not always there. Sometimes they were there to such an extreme that they washed everything else away and sometimes they helped soothe the storm around him, washing all unnecessary things away. They were far more reachable than the sky for the common spring flower and though they were harshest in the spring it was in spring every drop was needed the most. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do without them falling upon her anymore.

Suddenly he rolled her over so she was lying on her back. He was grinning down at her, the mask not completely in place yet, though the emotions had turned far more sinister. He reminded her of a dragon in this very situation. "If you keep looking at me with those eyes I'll have to kiss you again," he said, voice dark and promising of many things she did not dare imagine just yet.

"Haru can't help her eyes," she pouted. "I did not decide on them."

To this he laughed. "It weren't the eyes specifically, but the emotion in them," he corrected her before sitting and helping her to do the same. "I have something for you, though," he admitted and now he was back in a serious mood. "I know we both have a little bit of relationship-phobia because of the easy-going nature of our peers, so I'm as anxious and unwilling as you to use such terms."

He reached into his bag that lay on the floor behind them and pulled out a small box. "I just got this back from repairs from Talbot," he said and handed it to her. "It's not anything extravagant, but I think it could still be used."

She slowly took the box and held it, afraid to actually open it. "What is it?"

"A ring," he elaborated. "Please don't get me wrong. I'm not proposing or anything –" he grinned and added a _yet_ in his mind. "But I guess a promise ring would calm your worries?"

She nodded slowly and opened the box. "It's been in my family since the first Vongola Guardian, you were right about us being related. It had been gone for several generations but I accidentally found it in a box filled with letters from his time. One was from Primo and showed the ring to be a gift to Ugetsu's wife. It should create a small barrier of rain flame if you're in danger."

She'd been staring at the ring for a long time. It was of a dark silver, like his Vongola necklace and beautiful. Her mind was reeling and her heart floating. He'd given her something this precious - and it could protect her too! "I'm still insisting on you teaching me martial arts," she mumbled and traced the swallows engraved in the metal.

He chuckled and took the ring, placing it on her left middle finger making her protest. "That's the wrong-"

His hand covered her whole hand and she caught the small flame from his necklace out of the corner of her eyes. "Nope. It's on the finger where you place the Ring that shows your loyalty to Vongola. Not that romantic, but necessary and perfect," he explained as the flame in his necklace turned into a swallow. It took flight and circled them before flying completely through their hands. Or so she thought.

When he removed his hand she saw the small swallows light with his flames before dimming and vanishing. "They'll lie dormant until you're in danger," he explained and raised her hand for a kiss.

"I wonder if Primo left rings like these for other guardians and their wives," she muttered, thinking of Kyoko and Hana. She'd heard about Daemon and Elena of course, but no texts or journal had mentioned anything about rings for them. Then again, no one seemed to know anything of Primo's wife. He must have had one, of course, or Tsuna would never have been born.

A slow grin spread across his face. "If so, I'm sure Tsuna is too afraid to present it to Sasagawa," he chuckled. "That'd be the same for her brother, of course, but for other reasons."

"Hana is kinda cruel at times," she giggled.

His hazel eyes met her gaze for a moment and the look in them made her heart soar. "And you won't be to me, right?" he whispered and kissed her cheekbone.

"Sometimes I think Takeshi is the cruel one," she admitted, feeling lightheaded.

* * *

And this is it from me for this time. I hope you enjoyed the start of their journey together as part of Tsuna's family. Unfortunately this story will not be continued, as I've said many many times, with the ones I had planned, but fear not my fellow yamaharu shippers! I have another one on the way as well as a fic for tsuna and Kyoko. I just need to finish writing them *grin*

Thanks to all of you who read this – even if the ending is a bit abrupt – and wrote supporting comments. I'm still a bit embarrassed over writing something like this, but here is the end. I hope you enjoyed it.

- Pen


End file.
